Let It Snow
by Selena Snow
Summary: Let's be honest- snow in North Carolina is a Christmas miracle. But sadly, writings in the frost are not. So who is this white-haired boy, and why have I drawn a picture of him before I even met him? And why does he have the most charming smile? And why is he carrying a staff? And why is he not wearing shoes, for crying out loud? And finally, what is up with all of the snow!
1. Chapter 1

**Who's ready for some extremely-attractive-teenage-winter-spirit-fluff? Yeah, me too! Enjoy!**

"Thank you, Ladies!" Mrs. Eva applauded for us. We all curtsied back and applauded for her. We walked off to the sidelines of the dance floor to grab our things. I picked up my backpack and slung it over my shoulder with a smile on my face. After a great ballet lesson and a good test score, could this day get any better?

Well, I guess I'd better introduce myself, shouldn't I? I can almost see the puzzled look on your face right now reading this and you don't even know who I am and- Oops! Sorry, I tend to ramble a bit.

Hi! My name is Selena Snow. Yeah, yeah, "S-squared", I know- I've heard it all before. Anyways, I have curly dirty blonde hair, smart-looking glasses, and tanned skin due to my Native American heritage. My vocal instructor calls me her "little opera pixie" due to my small size. I'm a fairly average height of 5' 2", but I'm just an overall petite person. I love singing, dancing, writing, and acting. To sum things up, I'm a pretty normal teenager.

I walked out of the dance room chatting excitedly with my best friend, Abby. "I can't believe that we only have one more week until Christmas break!" I squealed happily.

"Finally- it's about time!" she said with a roll of her eyes. "It kinda stinks that I'll still be in a wheelchair by then," I grumbled.

I gave her an encouraging smile. "Aww, don't let that get you down! At least you'll be able to dance once you recover- and by New Year's, you'll just be in a boot, right?" I asked.

"If all goes as the doctor says it should go," she sighed dramatically. "Bahumbug." I laughed and slapped her playfully on the arm before I walked into a changing room.

I was changed out of my leotard, tights, and ballet slippers and into my usual outfit (my favorite jeans, a black long sleeve t-shirt, and some boots) in just under a few minutes. I walked out of the changing room and took my hair down from my ballerina bun before I put it up into a sloppy one.

I plopped down on the floor next to Abby with a sigh. She looked over at me with a knowing look. "Tired?" she asked.

"A bit," I answered with a yawn that I failed to stifle. "I wish I could take a nap," I told her, stealing a chip from her bag.

"Get your own food!" she laughed, holding her bag of chips protectively. "And if you wanna take a nap, then go ahead."

I gave her a look. "Abby, you know that we have to eat and then run off to class. Plus, I want to finish my drawing," I reminded her.

She groaned, "Ugh, you're such a party ruiner."

I gave her a smirk. "Only when there's a party to ruin, hun."

I grabbed my notebook and lunch box out of my backpack. I dug through my lunchbox until I found a sandwich. I took a bite of it as I stared down at my notebook thoughtfully. I had drawn a picture of a boy. Even though I was hardly an artist, I drew it anyways. Why? I have no clue.

He had carefree brown hair, blue- almost turquoise- eyes that shown with mirth, and he had the most charming smirk on his face. He had on a blue hoodie, and on the hoodie was fern-patterned frost. The picture had been in my head for weeks when I had finally decided to draw it.

Abby leaned over to take a look at the drawing. "I don't know what there is to finish. Except for maybe the rest of the body," she laughed.

I side-glared at her. "I told you- it's just a head shot. If I tried to draw a whole person, the proportions would be totally screwed up."

"fine, fine- whatever," she recanted, putting her hands up in a "not-guilty" manner.

I rolled my eyes and laughed a bit before I studied the picture some more. I couldn't figure out what was wrong with it, but something just seemed off...

"I've got it!" I shouted, snapping my fingers before I whipped out a white colored pencil. I bent over the drawing and started to color over the brown hair furiously. Abby stared at me like I was crazy, and she probably had all the right to. In just a few minutes, the brown hair was replaced by stark white hair that had the uncanny similarity to snow.

"That looks like a failed version of anime, Selena," Abby commented. "I mean...white hair? Really?"

I ignored her as I stared down into those blue eyes. Why was this boy on my mind? It didn't make any sense.

I heard the wind howl outside and looked up. I blinked with shock when I found that there was a fern-like design of frost in the window on the door. I glanced down at my drawing and saw that it was the exact same design that was on the boy's hoodie.

"Looks like Old Man Winter decided to make a stop in North Carolina this year," Abby commented.

"'Old Man Winter'?" my friend Kelsey repeated with a confused expression. "Do you mean Santa Clause?"

Abby shook her head. "No, Old Man Winter is another name for Jack Frost," she explained.

"Never heard of him," Kelsey replied.

"Well I have," my other friend Lydia jumped in. "And it's about freakin' time that he visited us! We never get snow here!" she complained.

I smiled at her, coming out of my thoughts. "Maybe we'll actually get a good amount instead of just barely one inch," I commented. "The last snow storm we got was way back when I was in first grade!"

"Yeah, I'm ready for some snow," Lydia agreed.

"Amen, sista," Abby nodded.

Their conversation carried on but I tuned them out. I stared back at the window and jumped. Written neatly in the frost was _You're welcome_. I stared at it for a while with wide eyes.

"-like that drawing."

I snapped out of my daze, blinking a few times. I looked up to see the face of my ex-boyfriend. Oh, joy.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" I asked, not really making eye contact.

"Your drawing- I like it," he repeated, pointing down at it. "The eye color kind of reminds me of your own."

I wanted to face-palm at his failed attempt to get me back into his good graces. "Thanks, I guess," I said with a forced laugh. I felt Abby look at me out of the corner of her eye. She could tell that I needed saving.

"Hey, Selena, I have to tell you something. Do you think we could go outside?" she asked.

I turned around to look at her. I was about to ask her why the heck she'd suggest to go out into the freezing cold when I saw the "I'm trying to help you" look in her eyes. "Sure, why not? Let me put on my jacket and scarf, first, though," I agreed.

I quickly threw away my empty sandwich bag and put on my jacket and scarf before I headed out the door with her. Right when the door shut, we both died of laughter.

"Yes, yes- 'you're welcome', 'I'm awesome', I know," she said grandly, bowing.

I laughed and high-fived her. "Gosh, I thought I was going to die of awkwardness! Did you hear what he said to me?!" I laughed.

"I could almost hear what he didn't say," she commented. "'Oh Selena, please take me back! You are my everything!'" she imitated, pretending to swoon over me.

I laughed and slapped her on the arm. "Oh, stop it, you! You could've at least come up with a better idea than going out into the freezing cold!"

"Oh please, it was either the cold or the awkward. Take your pick," she said sarcastically.

"I'll take the cold, please," I said, as though I was ordering at a restaurant.

Abby laughed before she took a thoughtful pose, leaning up against a stone pillar. "You know what I think?" she asked. "I think that he was jealous of that devishly-handsome boy you drew," she teased me.

"Probably," I snorted. "He's probably in their whining about how I give a drawn boy more attention than him."

"And Lydia's probably about to slap him," Abby added on, smiling.

"And Kelsey probably looks incredibly awkward to be caught up in the middle of all of this," I put in.

Abby laughed. "Oh, let's face it- life's full of awkward moments!" she stated. I laughed and glanced behind her at the door. The writing in the window was gone.

"Selena? What are you looking at?" Abby asked, turning around to follow my gaze.

"Oh, nothing. I was just hoping that the frost was still on the window so that they couldn't see us laughing," I lied quickly.

She grimaced. "Oh, yeah, that'd be bad. Anyways, I bet he's left by now. You wanna head back in?" she asked.

I hesitated, looking around me quickly and hoping that she didn't notice. "I'll come inside in a minute. I'm having a hot flash at the moment," I lied again. She nodded understandingly and went back inside the building. Once the door shut, I looked around warily.

Someone had to have written that on the window. I'm not that imaginative.

"I've gotta say...it's been a while since someone drew a portrait of this handsome face."

I gasped and spun around, expecting to see someone. 'Calm down, Selena.' I glanced around nervously and didn't see anyone. I started to relax a bit, and I let out a sigh.

"Are you always this jumpy?" The voice asked again from behind me.

I spun around angrily. "Alright, what are you-"

I froze.

It was him.

Well...looks like my day just got better.

**Aaaaaand, SCENE! Don't worry, I tend to update quickly. Review, Favorite- I don't care! Just let me know what you think somehow! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Onward! **

"But really, I gotta say- this is just such a great drawing," he said mostly to himself, as if he didn't notice me. I saw that in his hand he had my notebook, and in his other hand he had a...staff? What? That certainly wasn't in the drawing.

I stormed up to him and snatched my notebook away from him. "Just what do you think you're doing with my notebook? And how did you get it in the first place?" I questioned impatiently, crossing my arms.

He shot me a puzzled look. "Wait...you can see me?" he asked.

I wanted to roll my eyes. Please, the nerve of this guy. First taking my notebook and then asking me a stupid question- as if I was going to fall for that. Even if he was ridiculously good-looking.

"Uh, yeah I can see you. Big deal. Now what were you doing with my notebook?" I pressed on.

He blinked away the startled look from his eyes before he cooly leaned against a stone pillar. "How about you tell me why you're drawing me?" he shot back with a charming smirk. Oh, you've _got_to be kidding me. Not a wanna-be lady's man, too.

Well, two can play at this game.

"I do believe that I asked you first," I returned. "After all, isn't it ladies first?" I asked, feigning innocence.

His smirk grew even more. "Well, I didn't think that you'd go first anyways, seeing as how you're not very lady like at all."

Oh no he didn't.

"Funny, and here I thought that men that look as old as you are supposed to be chivalrous," I snarked back.

"You're right- men as old as me are supposed to be chivalrous," he said with a chuckle. He twirled his staff in his hands. "Don't you think it's a little too cold out here for you?" he asked suddenly.

I rolled my eyes. "Oh please- says that one that doesn't have any shoes on," I replied sarcastically. "You never did answer my question. How did you get my notebook?" I repeated.

He shrugged his shoulders and smirked again. "Your friends are oblivious?" he tried. I rolled my eyes again. I had the feeling that I'd be doing that a lot around him.

"Nice try," I commented.

"Yeah, I know. I'll be better at my excuses in a few weeks, alright?" he joked. I laughed, in spite of not wanting to.

"But really, that is a rather good picture of me," he said, nodding at the notebook in my hand. "It's nice to know that I have some dedicated fan-stalkers out there," he added with that ever-present smirk.

"Um, who was it who stole my notebook again?" I asked, pointing my finger casually at him.

"Point taken," he said, backing off a bit. "You got the eye color just perfect, though. They look a lot like yours, actually," he commented.

I snorted. "Yeah, like I haven't heard that one before."

"Hey, you should be proud! It's hard for someone to capture the beauty of this gorgeous face," he said, motioning to himself. I burst out laughing at this and he smirked again. Gosh, would he stop that?!

I felt my phone buzz in my pocket and I took it out. _Come on, Selena! Class is starting! -Abby. _I tucked it back into my pocket.

"I gotta go," I told him with a semi-apologetic smile.

"Mkay. Can I get your name before I go?" he asked.

I laughed. "Do you need my phone number and address, too?" I joked.

He smirked again. "Only if you offer it," he replied smoothly.

I smiled. Gosh, he was easy to talk to. "Selena Snow. And you are?" I returned.

"The boy that shall remain unnamed," he said.

I was about to protest this when he pulled something out of his pocket and held it out to me. It was a crystal snowflake pendant on a silver chain. 'What, does he just go around with jewelry in his pocket to give out to girls that he picks up or something?' I wondered incredulously.

He walked around and put it around my neck. I felt his hands brush against my skin and shivered. Gosh, his hands were cold!

"Do you need to go inside and warm up, or something? Your hands are freezing!" I said worriedly, looking up into those gorgeous blue eyes.

He smiled softly this time- a change from the devious smirk that he was so accustomed to wearing. "Nah, it wouldn't help me anyways," he said mysteriously.

"Are you sure?" I asked again. Darn me being nice.

He smiled again. "Positive. Better get going, now," he reminded me, pointing toward the door.

I followed his gaze and gasped when I saw what was written in the window. It said _Jack Frost_. I turned around to ask what it meant, but he was gone. I blinked my eyes and fingered the snowflake pendant. That was strange.

I shrugged my shoulders and walked back inside, missing the white-haired boy look back around the side of the building at me.

I ran into the classroom just as my name was called on the roll. "Here!" I cried as I set my stuff down on the floor. I grabbed a chair next to Abby, who gave me a "where were you?!" look.

"I'll tell you later," I whispered. She nodded her head.

Musical Theater class went on as usual. We read through the script, did a few characterization exercises, and finished off the night with some improv. Oh, how I love drama!

The class ended at the usual time of 8:30 PM. Tuesdays were always my busiest days extra-curricular-activities-wise. I walked past the place that I had last seen that guy. Certainly strange indeed.

I felt Abby drag me off to the side. "Okay, now why were you outside for so long? And what's with that necklace? You didn't have it on before," she noted.

I looked around. A few others were waiting to be picked up but not many. "There was this boy outside who somehow stole my notebook. He and I talked for a while, and then he just gave me this necklace. And I didn't even get his name!" I told her.

"Oh, so a new guy, hmm?" she asked with a wink, nudging me.

I blushed but rolled my eyes. "Oh, please, Abby. There's no way that I'd ever go out with him," I retorted.

"Funny," she said. "I never even mentioned you going out with him. Selena's got a cru~ush," she sang teasingly.

"Sh-Shut u-up, Abby," I stuttered, embarrassed.

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, fine. But just remember that I'll have to meet this boy eventually! He can't hide from Abby the Terrible forever!" she declared as she got into her car.

I laughed and waved bye to her as she drove off. I sighed and waited for a few more minutes until I was the last one waiting to be picked up. Dang, it was quiet.

"'Abby the Terrible'? Really?" a familiar voice asked.

I gasped and turned around, involuntarily clutching my new pendant. "Gosh, would you stop doing that?!" I snapped, rubbing my forehead with my hand.

He smirked as he leaned up against the building's wall. "Nah, it's too fun. I see that you're still wearing that pendant, hm?" he asked with a playful glint in his eye.

"And what if I am?" I defended.

"Oh nothing, I was just noticing," he said nonchalantly as he wandered over to the bench that I was sitting on. He spread his arms out along the back of the bench. I felt his hand lightly resting against my shoulder. I stared at his hand before I shook my head and looked back at him. He was staring up at the moon and the stars with a dreamy look on his face. My expression softened when I saw the look of pure innocence. His face had the soft glow of the moon's light resting on it peacefully.

"Didja figure out who I am yet?" he asked, looking away from the stars and to me.

"Not really," I shrugged. "How am I supposed to know who you are if I only just met you two hours ago?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Would you like another hint?" he asked with a smile. Lord have mercy, I thought that I was going to melt at that smile.

"S-Sure," I stuttered. What the heck was wrong with me?!

He held up his staff and I saw it glow for a moment before soft snowflakes started to drift down onto us. I gasped and watched in awe and wonder as they fell down onto only us. It wasn't snowing anywhere else.

I started to connect the dots. The frost. The staff. The white hair. His cold hands. The pendant. The-

Oh my gosh.

"...Jack Frost?" I asked, turning quickly to look at him.

He smiled at me and winked. "Ding ding ding, we have a winner," he said sarcastically. "Now do you get why I asked if you could see me? Not many can see me- only those who believe. And most teenagers stopped believing a long time ago," he said sadly.

"The perks of having a huge imagination, I guess," I replied, trying to ignore the sad note in his voice. Gosh, he sounded like a kicked puppy!

A silence overcame us until I saw my mom's headlights coming through the parking lot. I got up quickly and grabbed my things. I spun around and saw Jack standing off to the side with his staff. I glanced back at the car before I ran up and hugged him.

I felt him jolt underneath me, but he then put his arms around me and hugged me back. I let go and gave him a hopeful smile. "See you soon?" I asked.

He nodded and smile back. "Yeah, see you soon," he agreed.

I smiled one last time before I ran over to my mom's car, which had just pulled up to the curb. "How was dance and drama class?" my mom asked as I got into the car.

I smiled at her. "It was good. We did the usual. You know- worked on last week's barre in ballet and then some more script-read and such in musical theater, and..." I trailed off. I glanced over at my mom. Should I tell her?

"Mom..." I started hesitantly. "Do you believe in Jack Frost? And Santa Clause? And people like that?" I asked.

She seemed surprised when I asked. "Well, I did when I was little. I guess I kind of still do...maybe it's just hopeful thinking, though. But who else would have put those presents under the tree but Santa?" she wondered out loud.

"Okay, I was just curious," I said, nodding my head.

That night as I lied in bed, I dreamt of nothing but a winter wonderland, not knowing that a certain winter spirit had told a certain Guardian of Dreams to give me that dream.


	3. Chapter 3

The rest of my week was completely uneventful...well, as uneventful that life can be without the presence of the winter spirit. I had done as much research on the legend of Jack Frost as I could. The descriptions seemed to make him out to be this cold (no pun intended), harsh man who didn't like people at all- not as a fun-loving, sarcastic teenager. And I must say that I like him better that way.

'Woah, Selena- like him better that way? Really? No. Bad girl,' I told myself, shaking my head. I glanced up from the book I was reading and looked around my room carelessly. Yup, this was my typical Sunday night. I looked back down at my book and sighed as I closed it and set it aside. I hadn't been able to focus on it anyways. Sure, my eyes kept going along the lines, but my thoughts had wandered to Jack.

When were we going to meet again? It had only been about five days, but still...I kind of missed him, as crazy as it might sound. It's been a while since I could just banter playfully with someone like that.

'Maybe he's left,' I thought glumly, putting my head in my hand. 'After all, there hasn't been much frost or snow in the past few days. I bet he left...yeah, he probably did. He can't stay in one spot for too long, anyways. He has to deliver winter to everywhere,' I reasoned, trying to ignore the sadness that I felt in my heart.

'Of course, when you fall in love, it'd be with a winter spirit,' a voice in the back of my mind chided.

'I am not in love with him!' I protested.

'Yes you are.'

'No I'm not!'

'Yes you are.'

'Why am I arguing with myself?!' I wanted to scream. I flopped down onto my bed and sighed. Great, now I've really gone insane.

A winter wind howled outside my window. I looked up and jumped when I saw the familiar frosty pattern, and a face shining through it. Jack...

"Wow, you look bored, or you really missed me," he chuckled. My eyes widened as I jumped off my bed and hurried to open the window to let him in. He floated inside and shivered.

"Man, it's cold out there!" he complained, brushing the frost off of his jacket. He tossed his hair to get the cold droplets of melted frost out, and I tried to ignore how soft it looked.

"I think that you could blame the fact that it's cold on yourself, actually," I commented with a smile.

He snorted. "Whatever." He continued to float around my room, looking at everything on different shelves and such. "How can one girl have so much jewelry," he said, then looking at me, "But only wear one pendant?" he asked with a smirk.

I looked down at the snowflake pendant around my neck. "If you don't want me to wear it, then why did you give it to me?" I laughed.

"Mmh," he shrugged, resting against his staff with his arms wrapped around it. Gosh, that was such a cute pose.

He smiled at me and glanced at the open window. "Ya wanna come?" he asked vaguely.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Go where? Flying?" I asked.

He nodded. "It's been a while since I've flown with someone," he said with a smirk.

"You mean it's been a while since you've flown with a girl," I corrected, even though I stood up from my bed.

His smirk faltered. "Hey, when you get to be 317 years old, your pick-up lines start to go bad," he defended jokingly. I felt my heart drop. Yup- he was probably a lady's man who broke hearts left and right.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, yeah, whatever," I mumbled. "So how exactly am I gonna fly?" I questioned with a doubtful look out the window.

"I'll hold you," he replied nonchalantly. I gave him a look. "Don't worry, I'm stronger than I look," he convinced. I sighed and walked over to my bedroom door.

"Hey, Mom? I'm gonna head on to bed," I shouted.

"Okay, goodnight!" she shouted back from downstairs. I closed the door and turned off the lights in my room. I glanced around in the dark. "Jack? Where'd you go?" I whispered.

"I'm right here," he whispered into my ear from behind, sweeping me up into his arms. I yelped at the suddenness of it, quickly putting my arms around his neck to hold on. I felt a chuckle roll through his body. "Someone likes to be held," he teased. I rolled my eyes and didn't say anything in return.

He walked over to the window and hopped up onto the ledge softly. I felt the cold wind bite at my skin. I wished that I had on more than sweatpants and a t-shirt at that moment more than ever.

"Hold on," I heard him say, and soon enough, he shot up into the air. I squealed and held on tighter, trying to bury myself into him. "Relax- I won't pull any stunts," he calmed me. "Unless you want me to," he added on after a few seconds of contemplation.

"Considering the fact that it's my first time flying, I'd rather not do any loop-de-loops," I laughed, my body still a bit stiff out of nervousness.

He smirked. Oh no.

I felt the wind whipping past me as he started to go faster and higher up into the sky. "Woohoo!" he shouted with a laugh as he soared up even higher. I smiled and laughed at his happiness. It was infectious.

Then he started to go even higher. And higher. And higher.

And I could feel the atmospheric pressure start to drop.

I breathed in sharply, but realized that there was next to no air to breath in. On no.

"Jack..." I coughed out.

"What?" he asked curiously, looking down at me.

"Too...high...no...air..." I choked. I coughed uncontrollably then, trying to breath in the nonexistent air. His eyes widened as he realized what was happening. I thought I felt his arms tighten around me, but I wasn't sure. I was starting to lose consciousness.

He shot down back to Earth and flew as straight as an arrow into my bedroom window. He laid me down on my bed as I took in a huge gasp of air. I choked and coughed, not hearing what he was saying.

"Selena! Selena, say something for North's sake!" he cried, shaking me by my shoulders. I blinked and looked up into his eyes.

"You...idiot..." I managed to say with a hallow laugh.

"Well, at least that's something," he muttered.

"Selena?!"

My eyes widened. Mom!

"Selena, are you okay?" my mom asked as she rushed into the room. "I heard you coughing, and- why is the window open?" she asked confusedly.

"I, um..." I stuttered, coughing again. "I was burning up in here, so I opened the window. Maybe I got a cold or a cough or something," I said, brushing it off and struggling not to cough again.

"Do you need some medicine?" she asked worriedly.

"I'll be fine," I said, coughing again. "I'm sure I'll be better in the morning," I reassured her.

She didn't look convinced, but she nodded anyways. "Okay, then. Goodnight, Selena. And make sure you shut that window," she reminded me as she left the room. The door shut behind her, and I heaved a sigh of relief.

"Guess she doesn't believe in me," Jack mumbled. I jumped. I had almost forgotten he was here. "Sorry about that, by the way," he apologized, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. (Once again, his hair looked incredibly soft.) "I forget that not everyone is immortal," he tried- but failed- to joke.

I was still shaking a bit. "Just...just, maybe I shouldn't fly anymore," I suggested quietly with an apologetic smile.

He sat down on the side of my bed and put his hand on top of mine. I didn't miss the feeling of a spark lacing between our hands. I felt a warm feeling fill me, regardless of how cold his hand was.

"Well, I guess that I've tired you out enough for one night," he said with a chuckle. He leaned forward and pressed a light kiss to my forehead. "Goodnight, Selena," he whispered, disappearing right before my eyes. I blinked and jumped when I heard the window close on it's own.

On the window in the frost was a lovely drawing of a snowflake. I looked down at my necklace and realized that it was the exact same snowflake. I smiled and looked up at the window again.

Jack Frost looked through it at me, winked, and flew off into the cold of the night.

I sighed happily and got under the covers of my bed, a smile ever-present on my face.

* * *

Jack smiled as he flew away from Selena's house. He'd be back...and she'd miss him. He just knew it.

'And you'll probably miss her, as well,' a little voice in the back of his head told him.

Jack shook his head. He wouldn't miss her...or would he? After all, there were very few people about his age that could see him, and he'd be flat-out lying if he said that he didn't enjoy her company.

'Just don't be an idiot again and almost kill her,' he reminded himself. He'd never forgive himself for that. And it's not like he needed another thing that Bunnymund could egg (pun totally intended) on him about.

"Oooh, Jacky~!" a happy voice sang. Jack stopped in mid-air and watched as Tooth flew up to him. "I didn't expect to see you here tonight! You rarely come by this part of the world," she said in her always-happy tone.

"Yeah, well, it's not your job to be concerned with mine, now is it?" he asked sarcastically.

She gave him a motherly, stern look. "Don't talk that way to me, mister! Now what's going on- Sandy said something about you asking to give a certain girl a certain dream, yes?" she hinted with a bit of a teasing smile.

"I hardly believe that Sandy actually said something," Jack muttered.

"Now, now, Jack. Don't avoid the subject," she tsked, her wings fluttering excitedly. "So who is this girl? Hm? Does our youngest Guardian have a crush?" she asked.

Jack sent his famous heart-melting smirk at her. "Now why would I tell you that? You'd probably just go tell all of your little fairies and then they'd be heart broken. I do need a fan-club, after all."

"So you **do** have a crush!" she squealed, flipping excitedly in the air as her purple eyes lit up. "What's she like? Does she brush her teeth a lot? Is she from around here? Oh, I hope that she has good dental hygiene. What-"

"Tooth!" Jack stopped her. "She's just a friend," he insisted, albeit unconvincingly.

She gave him a scrutinizing look before she straightened up and shrugged. "Whatever you say, Jack," she said casually, sending him a 'this isn't over' kind of look. "I'd better get back to work, and you should, too. See you around!" she said happily, fluttering away.

"Oh, and North said he wanted to see you!" she called out from afar. Jack shook his head and sighed with a small smile. The older Guardians just couldn't leave their youngest alone. They acted like he always needed advice or something- as if he was the teenager that he looked like.

'Watch North try to give me some sort of love advice,' he chuckled, flying off in the direction of the North Pole. He sprinkled small flurries and frost wherever he went, hoping that the ice he put on the roads would be enough for school to be cancelled tomorrow.

He wanted to visit Selena sooner than in five days this time.


	4. Chapter 4

Jack landed at the doorstep of the Ice Castle and breathed out a sigh. It was the perfect temperature at the North Pole- cold, but not too much. He walked inside and glanced around casually as he headed up the winding staircase to North's office.

"Hey, Marvin," he called out to the friendly yeti. The yeti waved before he went back to work making dolls. A few triangle-shaped elves stumbled past with stupid smiles on their faces. Honestly, Jack didn't know why North kept them.

Jack continued walking up until he got to the office. North sat at his desk, looking over his lists. "Ah, Jack! Welcome, my friend! Some hot cocoa?" he offered, gesturing to an elf who held a tray with a tea pot and a cup.

Jack grimaced. Who knew what those creepy little elves did to it. "Nah, I'm good," he said, sitting down in a chair. "So, whadja need me for?" he asked calmly, relaxing back into the chair.

North looked up at him from the Naughty and Nice list (he wasn't done checking it twice yet) with a grave expression. "Sandy reported that you asked him to give a certain girl a certain dream about a winter wonderland. Now-"

"North, I really don't need to hear you tell me about why I shouldn't court or whatever they call it these days. I'm 317 years old. I can take care of myself," he insisted.

To Jack's surprise, North chuckled. "I know that, Jack," he said, leaning back into his chair. "I just want to warn you, though. Selena's not immortal like you," he said.

Jack looked up at North at Selena's name. "How did you-"

"I'm a guardian, Jack," the man chuckled. "And she's one of the few teenagers that still believes in us. That in itself is very commendable, but the fact that- well, never mind," he said, looking back dow at the Naughty and Nice list.

"The fact that what?" Jack pressed, leaning forward in his chair.

North sighed. "Jack, she has every reason not to believe in us. You rarely stop by there-," here, Jack looked down in shame, "-she never had a list of things she wanted, so I never gave her anything, Bunnymund didn't stop by there because Tooth said that her parents already gave her candy for Easter- I tell you, she is far too concerned with dental hygiene-, Tooth was never needed because her parents always put money under her pillow themselves, and she was always so stricken with nightmares that Sandy could never do anything about it, even though he tried. Jack, she has never seen any evidence of us in her life, but she still believes. That is why she is especially on my radar," North explained. "Plus, she's never been on the Naughty list," he added with a meaningful look at Jack.

Internally, Jack was blaming himself for this. What if he had visited where Selena lived more often? Maybe then she would have a reason to believe...but then again, he guess that she didn't even need a reason to believe.

"All that I'm saying, Jack, is that I want you to be careful," North said with a fatherly tone in his voice. "You and I are much alike, and I remember a time when I was a younger Gaurdian that the same thing happened to me. She was one of those rare young adults that still believed. Everything was perfect until one day, just out of the blue, she drowned in a frozen lake. I don't want you to go through what I did," he said quietly.

Jack stood up abruptly and walked to the door.

"Jack!" North called out.

"Look," Jack said through his teeth. "I know it's a risk. I know it'll be a challenge. I know that she might...die," he said, his voice quieting. "But I wanna try anyways," he finished, turning back around to stare into the glassy eyes of North.

North stroked his beard silently. "Well, then," he started. "Go on. It's Monday by now, and by the looks of it, Selena won't have school today," he told Jack with a smile.

Jack nodded and walked out of the office, shutting the door softly on his way out. North breathed out a sigh. "May the Man of the Moon watch over you, Jack," he mumbled with a shake of his head.

* * *

I woke up early in time for school, but stopped when I heard the cold winter wind whistle outside. I ran over to my window and pulled up the blinds, hoping to see Jack, but was met with a large blanket of snow. I smiled and grabbed my phone to check if school had been cancelled.

To my delight, it had been!

I dashed around my room, putting on pants, boots with warm fuzzy socks, a long sleeved t-shirt, my jacket, and a scarf. I put my hair up into a bun and ran out of my room and down the stairs. I grabbed a bowl from my kitchen and ran outside.

Snow fell gracefully all around in the quiet stillness of the morning. I could see my breath crystalize in the air as I stood in awe. A few early rays of sunlight slowly appeared from the horizon. It looked beautiful.

I stooped down and scooped some fresh snow into the bowl before I headed back inside. I shivered as I set down the bowl of snow. I tossed my scarf and jacket aside before I got out some milk, sugar, and vanilla extract. Just a few minutes later, I had myself a cup of snow creme. The rest I put into the freezer.

I went back up to my room and sat down on my window bench, staring out into the winter wonderland. 'I'll have to thank Jack the next time I see him for this,' I thought to myself with a smile. 'I wonder if he'll visit today...' I wondered excitedly, taking another sip of my snow creme. I fingered my snowflake pendant as I thought it over some more.

I hadn't taken it off since Tuesday. Heck, I even slept with it on. Abby had teased me about it, but I just couldn't make myself take it off. I tried to tell myself that it was just because it was a pretty necklace, but I knew I was lying. I had plenty of other necklaces that I could wear, but I didn't. I only wanted to wear what Jack gave me.

I heard the winter wind howl outside again. I looked over to my window, not even surprised when I saw writing on it. It said _Good Morning, Selena_.

I smiled at it. "Jack, I know you're here," I sang with a laugh. I looked around my room but I didn't see him anywhere. I was about to wonder if he was trying to tell me to come outside when I felt cold hands cover my eyes.

"Can you guess who I am?" the voice that I had grow to love whispered into my ear.

I giggled and put my hands over his, trying to pry them off. "Hmm...I'm not sure," I returned. I had the feeling that he smirked as he uncovered my eyes and put them around my body.

"You can't go until you can guess who I am," he whispered with a smile. I turned around in his hold, blushing when I saw how close our faces were.

He smiled at me softly and leaned in to kiss me when I put a finger on his surprisingly warm lips.

"Ah, ah, ah," I chided him teasingly. "Not so fast there, Mr. Frost."

He smirked at me. "How about a deal then?"

"What kind of a deal?" I questioned, removing my finger from his lips.

"Whoever wins the snowball fight gets to make the other person do whatever they want for a day," he stated.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "And what if I don't want to do whatever you tell me to do?"

"You act like you're not even gonna try."

"Cause I know I won't win."

"You never know."

"And you never answered my question."

"I'm pretty sure that you won't mind doing what I ask," he said with a smirk, pulling me closer to him. Gosh, he was making this so difficult.

I smirked right back at him. "Fine, then," I agreed, slipping out of his arms. "Game on."

* * *

Okay, I know that Jack's the spirit of winter, but seriously?! Can't he take it easy on me?!

I had to dodge left and right to avoid his random attacks of snowballs. They came from everywhere! Up above, from the right and left, from behind- everywhere. They were impossible to avoid.

I stood up from behind my snow fort- well, what was left of it- to face him. "Hey, okay, seriously! I give-"

**SMACK**

I turned around to glare at him. He leaned casually against the wall of my house, twirling his staff around in his hands. "I'm sorry, what were you about to say?" he asked with feigned innocence.

"I said that I give up," I said through gritted teeth. "Just go ahead and make me your prisoner for the day, for cryin' out loud," I gave in, holding up my wrists like he was going to shackle them.

He perked up and flew over to me. "Finally! Let's go!" he replied happily, picking me up and flying off.

I squealed and threw my arms around his neck. "Jack, if you kill me, I'll never speak to you again!" I threatened.

"I'll take that chance," he returned charmingly. I just wanted to melt at that very second. Gosh, sometimes I just hate this boy for making me feel this way.

I watched as towns, counties, states, and even countries flew by us. He landed softly in soft green grass and set me down. "Welcome to 'Egg-World'," he joked, gesturing around. My eyes widened as I looked around. It was amazing!

Soft green grass was everywhere, and rivers of different colors of paint flowed through the lush land. Little eggs with feet walked in a straight path, and to the side was-

Oh my gosh.

"Is that the Easter Bunny?!" I asked quietly, watching the giant bunny help some of the eggs along into a paint river.

Jack chuckled. "Yes, it is. You wanna meet him?" he asked. I nodded silently. I felt Jack grab my hand and lead me over to the towering bunny. He was at least a foot taller than me, and he looked like he had some form of weaponry on him. Not exactly how I imagined him.

"Bunnymund," Jack started, grabbing the bunny's attention, "this is Selena Snow."

"Pleasure ta meet cha, Miss," he said in a surprising Australian accent. "I'd love to stay an chat, but these little eggs just can't find their way to the rivas themselves," he excused, walking back to the his eggs, who had waited for him patiently.

Jack rolled his eyes. "Always so serious," he grumbled.

I giggled and slapped him on the arm. "Be nice, Frosty," I laughed walking onward on the path. Jack ran up to meet me and grabbed my hand again. I blushed and smiled, but let him show me around. Giant parades of eggs walked past us merrily, painted and unpainted. Gorgeous flowers were in bloom, and they covered most of the area. Rocks, small and large, were covered with green moss and provided as the flooring of some areas of "Egg-World." It was like it was always Spring, here.

"Come on, I wanna show you something," Jack said, pulling me away from a painting station. He walked along the path slowly, as if he wanted to savor the moment. We walked past even more flowers, and he led me over to a tunnel made of rose vines.

"Wow," I breathed, looking at all of the different colors of roses all around me. "Did you know that all of the colors of roses have different meanings?" I asked Jack randomly. He shook his head.

"Well," I started, "White is purity, black is mourning, yellow is friendship, pink is thankfulness, orange is happiness, blue is impossibility, lavender is enchantment, and-"

"What is red?" he asked suddenly. I looked over at him and saw him fingering a single red rose in his hand. He stared down at it thoughtfully.

"R-Red stands for love," I told him, stuttering. He looked up at me and smiled. He gently tucked the rose behind my ear, but he didn't pull away. He stared deeply into my eyes, leaned forward, and-

"I'm not that easy to win over, Jack," I reminded him, my finger once again resting on his lips.

He smirked and gently took my hand and kissed it. "I know," he replied. "Come on, there's more to show you," he said, leading me on. We walked back through "Egg-World" in silence.

'You idiot, Selena! You should've just let him kiss you!' I yelled at my self. Oh well- too late now.

* * *

Jack made sure that he held Selena's hand the entire way back to where he had landed in Bunnymund's land. He realized she was going to make him work for it, and boy was he ready to.

"Hope you mates had fun," Bunnymund said courteously as they passed.

"And nice try, Frosty," the large bunny whispered so that only Jack could hear, using Selena's nickname for him. Jack glared back at the bunny, but he acted like he said nothing. Looks like Jack was going to make it extra chilly this Easter.

Jack scooped Selena up into his arms and took off again, smiling when he felt her arms around his neck.


	5. Chapter 5

Jack took off without a word. I almost wondered if he was mad at me for not letting him kiss me, but the thought melted when I saw his glowing smile. I looked out and gasped when I saw that we were already approaching a new land.

He landed in what looked like a temple grounds. A mural was spread out before us on a wall. Before I could ask about it, a woman that looked like a hummingbird flew up to us excitedly.

"Hi, Jacky! Oh, who's this?" she asked happily, looking me over.

He smiled as he set me down on my feet. "Tooth, this is Selena Snow. Selena, meet the Tooth Fairy," he introduced. I smiled shyly at her and waved.

Tooth perked right up when she heard my name. "Oh! Selena Snow! Oh, you've always had such marvelous teeth! I do wish that those last two had come out on their own! Here, let me give you these to make up for it," she said, snapping her fingers. Two little pixies floated up to her side and handed her two gold coins. She held them out to me, and I took them.

"Thank you so much," I said, tucking them away safely into my pocket.

She smiled grandly at me. "Oh, it's nothing! Well, I'd love to stay, but teeth never stop falling! I'm sure that Jack will show you around," she said, fluttering off with a wave.

"Well she was certainly nice," I commented with a small laugh.

Jack smiled. "Yeah, she's kinda like a mom to me. North's like a dad to me, too. It's kind of funny, actually, and-"

"Wait, North? Who's North?" I interrupted.

Jack blinked his eyes before he smirked at me. "You'll see," he answered vaguely. I rolled my eyes but let him hold my hand anyways as he led me around Tooth's land. He explained to me how Tooth was the Guardian of Memories, and how each tooth held a child's memory. It made me half-wonder where my teeth were, and which memories were inside them.

He flew me up to a giant tree and set me down on one of the branches. I put my arms around his waist to make sure that I didn't fall off, ignoring the warm feeling in my body when I felt him chuckle. We sat there for a while in silence, watching pixies fly here and there, delivering teeth to their correct places.

Suddenly, I felt myself starting to fall backwards. "Jack!" I squealed, trying to hold onto his hoodie. He quickly grabbed me and held onto me, leaving me dangling over the side of the branch. He leaned down close to my face and batted his eyelashes at me.

I turned my face just as he leaned in to kiss me, making his kiss land unexpectedly on my cheek. I giggled when he huffed and pulled me back securely onto the branch.

"Don't think that I'm giving up yet," he said with a smirk. "We still have one more place to go." And with that, he scooped me up and whisked me off once again. It didn't seem to take as long as it did to get to the other lands, but the temperature certainly did change. I shivered and shielded my eyes from the snow. I could see a bright light off in the distant, and- good gosh, were those the Northern Lights?!

I gazed up above us at the green-blue waves of light. They were gorgeous. "Wow..." I whispered.

"I know," I heard him say. I looked up and saw a soft smile on his face. The lights reflected off of his white hair, making it seem to glow. I could tell by his smile that whoever lived here must be important to Jack.

We landed softly in the freshly-fallen snow. The snow came up to Jack's knees, and he didn't put me down this time. He managed to open the door to what looked like a giant ski lodge. My eyes widened when I saw what was inside.

Santa's workshop.

What looked like yetis were running around building toys while elves stumbled about stupidly. I raised an eyebrow at the elves...uh...alright, then. They were certainly interesting.

Jack set me down on the wooden floors and watched as I spun around in wonder. It was so much more than stories made it out to be. It was...magical.

"Like what you see?" Jack asked. I nodded numbly, and he chuckled. "Follow me." He showed me the way up the winding staircase that went through the middle of the circular floors. At the very top was a grand set of doors. Jack opened them without hesitation.

"Jack!" a man with a white beard and red clothes and holy fluffernutters it's Santa Clause.

"Hey, North," Jack greeted calmly. My eyes widened. So this was North.

"Jack, is this who I think it is?" Santa asked curiously, a twinkle in his eyes. The Russian accent took me by surprise- I won't lie. He stood up and walked around his desk.

Jack groaned. "Yes, yes it is. Selena, this is-"

"Santa," I said in awe. "It's an honor to meet you, sir."

"How come it wasn't an honor to meet me?" Jack whined with a smirk.

I rolled my eyes at him and heard Santa chuckle. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Miss Snow. You have quite the reputation around here, never asking for anything. So," he continued, leaning down in front of me, "is there anything that you would like this Christmas to make up for the past 15 years? Anything at all?" he inquired with a smile.

I must have looked so shocked at that moment. It wasn't like I needed or even wanted anything. I didn't know what to tell him. "Umm...could I get back to you on that? I'll need some time to think," I said with an embarrassed laugh.

He nodded his head and walked back around to his desk and sat down. "Why yes, of course," he agreed with a chuckle. "You may want to head back home, now. It's starting to get late in the day," he reminded us.

Internally, I wanted to die. 'Great, what the heck am I supposed to tell Mom?! She's probably been worried sick this entire day!'

Jack nodded and tugged lightly on my hand. I smiled my goodbye at Santa, making him chuckle. I thought that I heard him mumble "young love" under his breath, but I wasn't sure.

"Oh, and Jack!" Santa called out, making both of us turn from our place at the doorway. "Tell Marvin to report to my office immediately."

Jack nodded and glanced back at me. "Meet me downstairs, okay? I need to ask him something real quick," he asked.

I smiled. "Go on- it's fine," I answered, motioning to the doorway. He smiled and gave me a quick kiss on my cheek before I could even stop him. Darn him and his charming ways. He slipped back inside the door before I could think of something to say.

Once again, darn him.

I sighed and looked around the workshop level with a grin. Time to have some fun.

* * *

"North?" Jack asked hesitantly as he entered the office again.

"Hm? Jack? I thought you left," he replied with a puzzled expression.

"Well...we did, but..." Jack trailed off, scratching the back of his head. "I was wonder if you, um...like her, or...I don't know, approve of her," he stuttered, feeling his frosty face start to warm up.

North chuckled at the young winter spirit. "Jack, anyone on the Nice list has my approval," he started. "And you seem to be rather fond of her, and vice versa."

"I don't think-"

"Yes she is, Jack. You're as blind as an elf! что вы думаете?!," he mumbled in Russian. Jack sent him a confused look, and North sighed. "All that I'm saying, Jack, is that 1. You need to stop being so oblivious, and 2. Just once again, be careful," he stressed the last two words.

Jack nodded solemnly and left the office, leaving North staring after him.

He walked out onto the ledge and took off into the air, flying down to the main floor where he was supposed to meet Selena. But to his surprise, she wasn't there!

"Hey! You two!" Jack called after two yetis. "Have you guys seen a girl walking past?" he asked. Both yetis nodded furiously and pointing their fingers as to where she went- but in opposite directions. Jack sighed. What had Selena gotten herself into?

"Thanks," he said sarcastically with a roll of his eyes. Yup, Selena was definitely rubbing off on him. He flew up and down, looking around each work station and level that he could see. He had even already found Marvin, and told him that North needed him! Where could one girl be?

"Frosty!"

Jack blinked and looked up above. There was Selena, smiling and waving down at him from the balcony of a level. "Come on!" she shouted, laughing and running out of his sight. He smirked and flew up to that level, landing softly on the wood floors. He didn't have to look around for long before he saw her chatting excitedly to a yeti about the toy he was currently making.

"So which seeker is this supposed to be?" he heard her ask. The yeti drew a picture in the air. "Starscream? If so, you have the paint job all wrong." He heard the yeti groan. Jack smirked. Of course she just had to make it hard on the yeti. "Don't worry- here, let me show you how he's supposed to be painted."

Jack looked around the corner he had snuck around to and saw Selena pick up a paint brush and start to repaint what looked like a flying robot. Interesting.

The yeti made a quizzical noise at her. "Oh! How do I know for sure? Well, I've loved transformers ever since I was a little girl. I should know whether or not one of the main characters is painted correctly or not," she explained. "And one last detail...and...done! See?" she said, holding out the newly-painted robot to the yeti. He nodded in agreement and gave her what looked like a smile. She smiled happily and ran off once again.

Jack followed her for the rest of the time as she went around inspecting toys and such. All of the yetis seemed to like her, and she always expressed her gratitude for them, or commended them for working so hard all year long. After a while, Jack snuck up behind her and wrapped his arm around her waist, feeling her jump.

"Frosty, don't do that!" she laughed. Jack saw the yetis snort in the background at his silly nickname.

"You're gonna pay for that," he whispered into her ear threateningly.

She blushed, and he had to smile. She was so cute was she blushed. "O-Oh please," she stuttered, trying to act like he didn't effect her. He smirked even more and started to pull her away from the working stations.

"Well, thanks for answering her billions of questions, guys!" he shouted out as they left that level. He heard all of the yetis make a noise that sounded like "it's fine".

Selena huffed. "I didn't ask a billion questions..." she remarked. "Only about a million." Jack laughed and flew her down through the workshop to the door. He gave all of the yetis one last goodbye before he headed out into the snow.

* * *

I shivered when I felt the temperature drop as he walked outside. It was nice and cozy in the workshop, but out in the cold, it was freezing! I snuggled into Jack a bit more, tightening my hold around his neck. I felt him chuckle before we once again took off into the air.

I could feel myself slowly falling asleep in his arms. He shook me gently. "Don't fall asleep just yet," he whispered. I blinked open my eyes and stared up into his own beautiful turquoise ones. His white hair flew all around his face as we soared through the air. A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. He was perfect.

I sighed and looked out in front of us, surprised to see that we were hovering over my house. It was already dark, and by the looks of it, my family was still awake. He slowly flew down into my room and set me down.

"See? It's not so bad doing whatever I tell you for a day," he commented with a smirk. I laughed at him, brushing my hand against the rose in my hair. It was then that I noticed something above me. I looked up and blinked.

A few leaves and some small red berries with a red ribbon tied around them hung from my ceiling.

Mistletoe.

Jack followed my gaze up and also blinked. I guess that it wasn't him who put it there.

We both looked down at the same time, our faces seemingly closer than before. He wrapped on arm around my waist and pulled me closer, while he gently lifted my chin up with his other hand. He leaned forward and softly put his lips on mine.


	6. Chapter 6

My eyelids fell and my arms linked up behind his neck. He pulled me as close as possible to him. I played with the white locks that were at the base of his neck, and I could feel him shiver at the feeling.

He broke it off and gazed deeply into my eyes, our foreheads together. "I'm sorry, Selena. I shouldn't have-"

"I would've stopped you if I didn't want it," I giggled. He smirked at me and dipped me back. He pressed another kiss to my lips and then pulled away, leaving me in a daze.

"Good," he whispered, nuzzling his nose against mine. I smiled at him and ran my fingers up through his soft, carefree hair. It felt so nice just to be here in his arms.

"Hope today wasn't too bad," he murmured, putting his chin on top of my head and holding me close to him.

My head rested on his chest, and I let out a happy sigh. "Today was perfect, Jack," I whispered with a smile. He nuzzled his nose into my hair, and I giggled.

He looked down into my eyes and smirked. "Oh, someone's ticklish, now, hm?" he asked with a playful glint in his eyes.

"Jack, don't- EEEE! JACK!" I laughed, trying to fight off his tickle attack. He smirked and just tickled me even more. "'Jack! stop!" I squealed, successfully getting away from him. "Gosh, I hate you sometimes," I mumbled, resting against the end of my bed.

He chuckled. "Oh, please. No you don-"

"Selena?"

I spun around to look at the door.

"Who are you talking to? And where were you all day?" she asked, giving me a look.

'I am sooooo screwed,' I internally groaned. I thought over my possible excuses. I was at a neighbor's house all day? I was, um...aw, darn it, I just had to tell her the truth.

"I was...um...hanging out with Jack Frost all day?" I said uncertainly.

My mom stared at me unbelievingly. "Carolyn, I know that you want him to exist, but he doesn't," she insisted, coming over and taking me by the shoulders.

I groaned out loud. "Moooommm," I whined. "Don't call me that. You know I like my middle name better," I complained, crossing my arms.

She gave me a stern look. "All that I'm saying is that you're going to be fifteen, soon. You need to stop believing in magical...things. I'm sorry, but that's just life," she said firmly, preparing to walk away.

"Wait!" I cried out. "What if you could see him too?" I asked suddenly. I could almost see Jack's eyes widen. He hadn't moved from in front of my bed.

"Selena, I don't think that she'll be able to see me," he said with a disheartening tone in his voice.

I glared at him. "Well, we can still try." I looked back over to my mom, who just looked flat out confused. "Mom, just...try to remember when you were a little girl, and when you still believed in Jack Frost, Santa Clause, the Tooth Fairy, and the Easter Bunny," I insisted.

She sighed. "Selena, I don't-"

"Please?!" I begged. "Just try."

She sighed once more and closed her eyes. I could tell that she was looking back on her memories by the small smile that came onto her lips. She opened her eyes and stumbled back.

"J...Jack...Frost?" she asked, eyes wide.

He smiled at her and mock-bowed for her. "Pleasure to meet you, ma'am." I snickered at his sudden politeness. Obviously wanting to make a good impression.

My mom blinked again. "You...you haven't changed much," she stated, still seeming to be in a daze. "I remember seeing you once...when I was a little girl and we had a snow day...you threw a snowball at me," she said, her tone changing to accusing.

I laughed out loud this time, earning a glare from Jack. "He tends to do that to people he likes, trust me," I told her, still laughing.

She nodded slowly. "I...see...and just what were you two doing all day?" she inquired, crossing her arms and taking on her motherly disposition.

"I took her around to the different worlds of the Guardians," Jack covered quickly.

"The what?"

"The Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, and Santa Clause," he explained. "All except one." I sent him a confused look, but he ignored it.

Mom sent him a unsure look, and glanced back and forth between us. "Aaaaalrighty, then. If that's all." I knew just by her voice that she would be asking me plenty later. "Go on to bed, Selena. It's late," she said, and with that, she left the room and shut the door behind her.

I breathed out a sigh of relief. "At least that wasn't as terrible as I thought it would be," I mumbled, putting a hand on my head. Jack laughed and put his arms around me from behind.

"Did you honestly think that it would be terrible, _Carolyn_?" he asked with feigned innocence.

I groaned. "Ugh, please don't call me that. I hate my name."

"I don't."

"Well I do."

"I think it's cute."

"And I think that you're trying to sweet talk me," I finished, turning around and glaring playfully into his eyes. I wished that I could wipe the smile off my face, but I just couldn't help it!

He gave me one of those genuine, heart-felt smiles and kissed me again on my lips. He pulled away too quickly for my liking, and I pouted. "Ugh, you're so annoying," I grumbled, putting my head on his chest.

I heard him laugh silently. "You love me anyways, though," he whispered softly. My eyes flew open.

Did I love Jack? How long had I known him...less than a week? It'd be a week tomorrow, I knew that much. But did I just dive head first into another relationship that would end horribly like the last one? Wow, I'm such an idiot. Honestly, thinking that this could work out. I mean, he would live forever, and I...I'd die.

"Don't think like that," he murmured, holding me closer. It was then that I realized that I had said my last two sentences out loud.

"We'll make this work, okay?" he said, offering me a smile. I gave him a hesitant one, hoping that it would be enough for him. I didn't really want to talk about it. He sighed and leaned down close to my ear.

"I love you, Carolyn Selena Snow."

* * *

I must have been awake for hours at this point. I couldn't sleep. Honestly, how could I?

The boy of my dreams told me he loved me, kissed me goodnight, picked up his staff, and then left, leaving a drawing of a heart in my window. Sleeping seemed impossible. I had way too much running through my head.

How is this going to work out? What am I gonna tell Santa that I want? How did that mistletoe get there? Where is Jack now? Does he truly love me? When will I see him again? Sometime soon? Gosh, how is this all going to **work out?!**

I sighed and tossed over again in my bed. Yup, I hardly doubted that I would sleep tonight- even after a tiring day-trip.

* * *

North chuckled to himself. He had never been known (well, at least not often) to be sly or tricky- that was Jack's job. But the younger Guardian seemed to need a little help, and North was all in to provide that help.

North watched in his viewing station in his office as Selena tossed and turned in bed. He could tell that she was worried about something- probably about her and Jack. He'd be worried, too.

"Sandy, do you think that you could visit that girl from a few nights ago again?" North asked the cuddly-looking Guardian.

A picture of a girl with long, straight hair came up out of golden sand from above Sandy's head.

"No, no, not that little girl- though she does seem to be having some nightmares again. The girl that Jack asked about a few days ago- Carolyn Selena Snow," he added.

Sandy's eyes brightened right up, and a sandy picture of a thumbs up came above his head, followed by a question mark.

"No, nothing in particular- she just can't sleep, is all," North explained.

Another sandy picture of a question mark popped up.

North chuckled. Always the inquisitive one, Sandy. "She's very special to a certain young...frosty Guardian," he hinted. A delighted smile appeared on Sandy's face before he flew out of the room, undoubtedly to go do as he was told.

North chuckled once more. Who said that he couldn't help out a little, hm? A knock was heard at his office door. "Yes, come in," he called. Marvin the yeti peeked inside. "Ah, yes! Marvin, I assume that all went well?" he asked. The yeti nodded. "Thank you, friend! Go ahead and call it a night- we'll definitely be picking up the pace starting tomorrow!" The yeti gave him a tired nod and left.

North leaned back in his chair and folded his arms. Selena would have an important role in Jack's life. He could feel it in his belly.

And he certainly didn't feel guilty about telling Marvin to hang mistletoe in her bedroom.


	7. Chapter 7

Pitch walked slowly around his globe, growling as he saw yet another light come on. "Why... do the Guardians... always get to be in the spotlight?!" he seethed, flexing his hands.

The Guardians had thought he was gone. They had thought that his own fears had taken him. But were they really so stupid as to think that he would let his own creations kill him? He had destroyed them before they had even started to scratch him.

When he had come back to his lair, all of the children's teeth were gone. And what's worse, lights all around the globe had come back on! And every day, children's faith built more and more, fueling his anger.

He summoned a dark nightmare to his side."I think it's time that we stole the show once more," he promised, glaring over the globe. He walked around to the Americas and gasped. A light that he had noticed many years ago glowed brighter than ever before in the south east of America. He peered down at it and stumbled back. It was his little toy.

He grinned down at it. Looks like an old friend needed a visit.

* * *

I sighed and turned over in bed. It had been a long and tiring Tuesday, as they always were. We had started to learn a new dance number for the musical in theater class, and those were always exhausting.

I sat up and re-fluffed my pillow again, hoping that it would help. To my dismay, when I lied back down, it didn't do a thing. Darn it.

I groaned and turned again. I was tired. I should be asleep.

"Hello, my dear."

I shot up straight in bed and gasped. It was him.

"Did you miss me?" he teased, his yellow eyes burning into my own.

"H-Hardly," I stuttered. I could feel my body start to tremble.

"Isn't that sad," he spat. "After all of those wonderful nightmares, this is how you greet your friend?"

"Y-You are not my f-friend," I retorted.

"Then who is your friend? Not anyone else, I would think," he mocked, coming around to my bedside.

A glare became apparent in my eyes. "I've changed a lot since I was little. I have plenty of friends, now," I informed him, becoming bolder by the second.

He grinned evilly at me. "Oh, but you still fear rejection, don't you? After all...they're not your real friends," he hissed. "Do you need to be reminded of your fear, little one? The fear of never being accepted," he listed, "the fear of never being liked...the fear of being unwanted, abandoned, mistreated, hurt, tricked, lied to-"

"I get it!" I yelled. "Go ahead- give me more nightmares! What do I care," I seethed through my teeth.

"Oh, you've grown up so much," he said, pretending to be nostalgic. "I remember the nights when you'd wake up crying- such a beautiful sound."

"I think I'd like the sound of a train wreck better," I snapped.

He looked taken aback. "Now, now, Selena- don't get snippy with the only person who never left you," he reminded tauntingly. "The one who's always been there. The one that you believed in from day one," he shouted, anger burning in his eyes.

My eyes widened. Jealously. I could see it clear as day.

"You're jealous of the Guardians," I whispered. I almost felt bad for him.

He stumbled back. "No- No I am not! Why would I ever be jealous of those bloody goodie-two-shoes?! Where's the fun in bringing joy? Fear is much more pleasurable," he ranted unconvincingly, turning away from me.

"I don't think that-"

"Why must you continue to diagnose me?!" he shouted, spinning around furiously.

I backed away, meeting the headboard of my bed. He growled again and paced my room.

"After all I've done, after all I've tried-" he pointing an accusing finger at me "-you still believe in them! Why? You've never seen them, you've never heard them, you've never even seen any signs of them in your life! So why. do you. **BELIEVE**," he roared, and before I knew it, I was gone.

* * *

North knew something was wrong. He could feel it in his belly.

He charged into the globe room, looking over the massive globe. Lights weren't decreasing- in fact, they were increasing by the minute. So what was wrong?

He looked up and gasped. The moon shown through the ceiling and onto the floor. A hideous, shadowy form flickered onto the floor. Pitch. So he had finally returned.

North had known that it had been too good to last. It would be hard to defeat Pitch- he was as eternal as the Guardians were. But what was he up to now?

"Man in Moon," North called, looking up into the moon pleadingly. "What are you trying to say?"

Another shadow was cast upon the ground. This time, of a different person.

North stared at it. And stared at it. And slowly, it became more detailed. He gasped.

It was Selena.

He ran to the controls and slammed down the Northern Lights calling.

* * *

Jack flew through Michigan, spreading snow everywhere. He laughed happily as he flew down streets, waving to the rare kid who could see him. They would look on and stare at him, mouth open in awe.

He soared through the air and went above the clouds. It was so peaceful up here. The moon was as full and as bright as could be. Jack sighed as he stared into it. Instead of looking at it with the hate that he was so used to, he gazed at it with appreciation. The Man in the Moon saved his life. If he hadn't, Jack would have never met the Guardians... or Selena. He had every reason to be thankful.

He glanced at it one more time before he turned back to dive down and spread more snow. He halted. The Northern Lights were above him. They looked different than usual...and why were they visible this far away from the North Pole? Something must be up.

Jack glanced back down at the town before jetting off. He could make it snow later, but now, North needed him. He just wished he knew why.

That little plot twist was brought out of a review by my lovely little annon, _**emma**_! Thank you so much for reviewing! To emma, and to everyone else!


	8. Chapter 8

**This chapter is dedicated to my lovely friend, V-squared, who has been begging me to update. ;)**

Jack stood, towering over me menacingly. I scrambled back, but I met a cold, concrete wall. "So pathetic," he laughed. "Did you really think that I loved you?"

My eyes widened. He had lied? Was he just like every other boy? Was he no different?

All of my family and friends came into the light, gathering around behind him. "None of us ever liked you," they chorused eerily. I felt tears welling up in my eyes.

The scene played over and over, each time a little different- a little more wounding. I knew he (whoever _he _was) was manipulating me, but I couldn't figure out how to get out of this endless nightmare.

Nightmare...nightmare..._dream!_ It was a dream! It hit me like a ton of bricks- I needed to wake up!

I ran through the darkness, hearing a dark chuckle echo all around me. "You can't escape, Selena!" he taunted me.

I squeezed my eyes shut. 'Wake up, wake up, wake up, **WAKE. UP!**'

My eyes shot open. My breathing was labored. It came out in short, shallow breaths. I felt the ground below me start to swing. I froze. I glanced around. I was in a cage suspended high above ground, and down below me was an empty metal globe with lights all over it.

I lightly ran my hand along the rough, iron bars and bit back my tears. He hadn't given me nightmares that straight forward in a long time. Maybe he was right...maybe no one liked me. Maybe they just acted like they did. Maybe they just put up with me. Maybe they were waiting for a good time to get rid of me. Maybe...maybe...

I pulled my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them with a sigh. I closed my eyes and tried to think of Jack's smile. All I could see was his cold glare and hear his mocking laugh. I opened my eyes. It was useless. I sighed and let my head fall back harshly onto the bars.

"Now, now, darling- don't hurt yourself," his voice came.

I looked down and saw him stalking around the globe. "Your Guardians will come soon enough..." he said darkly, "and when they do...well," he chuckled, "I hope you'll enjoy the show."

My eyes widened. What if they came? What if one of them got hurt? What if **Jack** got hurt? Would they come at all? Too many questions flooded in at once. I could feel a headache coming on.

He floated up to me, yellow eyes staring down at me with pity. "Oh, you poor, poor thing," he tsked. "Maybe you should get some sleep," he suggested, putting a bony finger toward me.

"No!" I shouted, slamming my hands against the bars of my cage.

He looked taken aback for a second before he grinned sinisterly. "You forget your mortality, Selena," he laughed, pointing to my right hand. I looked down and saw a long cut running along my palm. The rough iron bars had cut it open. Blood slowly started to trickle out of it.

I looked up to shout at him, but he was gone. I slumped against the bars again, the iron picking at my clothes. Suddenly I felt a sharp sting in my forehead. I touched my good hand to my head and felt blood. At that moment, I cried. I cried and cried. I told myself that I'd never get out of there. I cried as I wrapped my hand up in the bottom of my shirt, hoping the blood would stop, and as I laid back carefully against the bars.

All I could do was wait. And try not to cut myself again. And try to stay awake.

* * *

Pitch roamed through the dark streets, watching the dreamsand that he despised swirl through the air merrily. It disgusted him. He snapped his thin, elongated fingers. He grinned as one of his nightmares walked up to him, snorting as it stopped.

"Alert the Guardians of our..._excitement_ about our upcoming meeting," he hissed. The grotesque, horse-looking nightmare snorted again, running off into the night.

Pitch smirked. It would be a lovely reunion indeed.

* * *

"So...'ow long are ya plannin' on keepin' us in the dark?" Bunny asked in an exasperated tone.

'Thank you, Bunnymund,' Jack thought sarcastically as he leaned up against the control panel in the Globe room. All of the Guardians had arrived, but North stayed firmly planted by the controls, watching the Globe. This was hardly normal behavior for the Guardian of Wonder- and everyone knew it.

"Pitch..." North mumbled, drawing everyone's attention. He turned slowly to face them. "He has...returned."

He watched the reactions of his fellow Guardians. Sandy looked surprised. Tooth was trying to calm down her fairies. Bunnymund gritted his teeth and reached for his boomerang. And Jack...

"What do you mean Pitch is back?" he asked incredulously. "We saw him get dragged off...we- we saw it! He couldn't be alive," he scoffed, shaking his head. His grip on his staff tightened protectively.

"But he is," North stressed, voice raising. He sighed when he saw Jack flinch. No one wanted to face reality- lest of all Jack. And he understood why. But he hadn't even heard the worst of the news...not yet.

"Man in Moon..." he muttered. All of the Guardians froze. "He-"

"Hold up, hold up," Bunny stopped him, coming forward. "What do you mean the Man in the Moon told you?" he asked.

"I think it's pretty obvious what he means," Jack muttered, rolling his eyes.

"Woah, woah- what was that, mate?" Bunny said, expression outraged.

"I said-" Jack started, getting up in Bunny's face, "-that obviously, the Man in the Moon told him that Pitch returned. Maybe those giant ears don't do as much good as you think they do," he mentioned, eyes narrowing.

"Well," Bunny growled, "_Since_ you weren't paying attention- like _always_- you obviously didn't hear me emphasize the word 'you', as in, why didn't the Man in the Moon tell the rest of us?" he questioned loudly, gesturing to the rest of the Guardians.

"Feelin' left out, Kangaroo?" Jack mocked.

Bunny's eyes narrowed. "What, like you did for three hundred years?" he challenged. Jack clutched his staff even tighter.

"Oh, stop it you two!" Tooth screamed. She got in the middle of them and glared at both of them. "Now is **not** the time to argue. I expect more of you two- especially you, Jack," she said sternly. Bunny huffed incredulously at what she said. Jack huffed and back away. He leaned against the wall and glared down at the floor.

Tooth sighed and looked hopelessly over at North. He had a hesitant look on his face as he stroked his beard. "Man in Moon...showed...someone else," he said quietly, glancing up at Jack. Jack blinked and peered up at him suspiciously.

"Who?" he asked.

North hesitated. "...Selena," he finally said. Not one of the guardians looked unaffected by this news.

Jack slammed his staff down onto the floor, laying out an icy coating on the floor. "It's my fault," he seethed angrily, hands clenched. He held his staff close to him softly. "It's all my fault..." he whimpered helplessly. His body fell limp as he closed his eyes and shook his head.

"No it's not, mate," Bunny said softly, making everyone look up at him. "It's Pitch's fault," he stated, a grin coming onto his face. "And we're gonna make 'im pay."


	9. Chapter 9

"On we go!" North cried as he slapped the reigns. Bunny clutched the side of the sleigh nervously, making Jack chuckle. Jack was trying so hard to stay calm and act normal. He knew he would have to not let his heart control his head- no matter how much he knew he would want to swoop in and take Selena out of Pitch's dirty hands.

He stared out the side of the sleigh as they soared above the North Pole. A portal appeared in front of them, and they went through to find...Burgess? Well, the woods of Burgess. And front of them was an all-too-familiar hole that led down to Pitch's lair.

North landed the sleigh, and Jack jumped out. "Jack! Wait! I feel something..." he said hastily, eyeing the forrest suspiciously. Bunnymund's ears shot up and he sniffed. Tooth's eyes widened, and she cradled little brave Baby Tooth close to her. Sandy flew up onto a cloud of sand and peered around, sand whips ready.

"Oh, well isn't this quite a sight," a familiar voice called.

Jack spun around and let out a burst of ice from his staff. Pitch disappeared and the ice blast landed on a tree.

"A bit jumpy, aren't we?" Pitch's voice teased from up on a tree branch.

"Get down here, you coward!" Bunny yelled, boomerang ready.

Pitch chuckled. "Oh, yes- you. I don't think that I've forgotten about what you did to my precious little nightmares," he reminded, pretending to look heart broken.

"And don't think that I forgot what YOU did to MY Easter eggs!" Bunny snarled back. "How is this clown alive, anyways?" he asked North.

"Now, now," Pitch tsked, "let's leave the catching up to later. For now..." he turned, "I want you to meet my new friends," he said, gesturing around. Nightmares slowly came out, eyes blazing. "Lovely, aren't they?" Pitch asked, patting one softly. He snapped his attention back to the Guardians. "Destroy them!" he commanded.

The nightmares rushed in all at once. Wasting no time, Bunny, Tooth, and Sandy got into action immediately. Jack turned and ran toward the hole that lead down to the lair.

"Jack!" North called. "Wait!"

Jack turned and met North with a cold stare. "I have to go get Selena," he stated blankly.

North shook him by his shoulders. "Jack, you're not thinking right. **I'll **go. You stay here," he commanded, rushing off down the hole before Jack could stop him.

Jack sighed. He had let his heart control his head. He shook his head. 'Stop- focus. Oh, please, what am I talking about- let's have some fun!' he thought with a grin, a snowball forming in his hand.

* * *

North walked steadily through a dark tunnel. He saw a dim light at the end of it. The tunnel opened up to show a large cavern, filled with many empty cages. Wait...no, one had something in it...

North's eyes widened. "Selena!" he called, rushing up to under the cage. "Selena, do you hear me?" he shouted.

He heard her stir and she looked down at him blankly. He gasped when he saw dried blood on her forehead and on her hand. "Selena, what happened to you?" he asked.

"I was being clumsy," she mumbled, half-awake. "And stupid. Like always."

North sighed and shook his head sadly. Many a time had he seen a victim of Pitch like this. Torn down, broken, and beaten. But apparently, it was only psychological. He hadn't physically touched her- and by the looks of the bars of her cage, they had torn through her skin by accident.

He took out his machete and breathed in a calming breath. "Now, Selena, I'm gonna get you down, okay?" he said. He prepared to throw his sword up to cut the chain.

"Don't," she said quietly. "It's useless. I'm useless. Just go before someone else gets hurt because of me."

North's eyes softened. She was beyond all reason. She truly believed whatever twisted idea Pitch had put in her head. "Selena," his voice pleading, "Please. I-"

"You what?" Pitch sneered from behind.

North swung around, but Pitch disappeared. "Didn't you hear her?" Pitch asked from far away. "She doesn't want to be saved."

"Pitch," North roared in righteous anger, "Whatever you've done to Selena-"

"What I've done?" the voice echoed. "What about what you've done. You've done nothing, North- NOTHING! I gave her something to believe in."

North was furious now. "Her own worst fears? That's what you want her to believe in?"

Pitch suddenly appeared right in front of North. "Well, why would she believe in **you**? I've always been there with her- and where were you?" he reminded, making North look down in regret

"What was it that you said you wanted for Christmas this year, again, Selena?" Pitch mocked.

"No one would want to ever get me anything anyways, so why does it matter?" she spoke hollowly.

Pitch smirked. "You see, old friend? It doesn't matter to her anymore. She doesn't want to be saved- least of all by the one who's _supposed _to Guard the Wonder in her heart...but that doesn't matter to her anymore either, does it?" he asked, smirking cynically. "Now GO!" he shouted, casting North out.

North arrived back on the snowy battle grounds. His fellow Guardians were still fighting, and most nightmares had been changed into beautiful dreams- courtesy of Sandy.

But all he could think about was his regret about Selena.

* * *

I kept my face emotionless as I stared down blankly. _Pitch_, as I now knew him, laughed evilly and fled the room, probably to go up to where I assumed everyone else was. After all, North wouldn't come alone, would he? Or maybe he did...maybe he was the only one who cared...

'No, don't go there, Selena,' I warned myself. 'Don't let yourself go that low. You just got out of it,' I reminded myself.

I was thanking my lucky stars (and my director) for all of my acting classes that led up to today. I wouldn't have been able to trick Pitch into thinking he got to me otherwise.

I struggled to crawl over to the bars of the cage. There had to be a lock somewhere...Ah! There! I looked over it and saw that I needed a key. Great...

I wondered vaguely for a moment what to do before I remembered my grandpa. "Now, Selena, here's what you do- take a bobbi pen or a paper clip and put it in the lock. Feel around in there until you find the hole and it should come unlocked. I learned that in the Navy."

I felt around in my hair before I found a bobbi pen that had been holding my bangs in place. They fell down in front of my eye as I took it out. I carefully slipped my hand through the bar and to the other side. I inserted the bobbi pen into the lock. I felt it go in one level...two levels...and it finally pressed down on the third level. I turned it and sighed in relief when it opened.

I opened the door fully and peeked down at the ground. It was a good eight-foot drop, even considering the fact that I was in one of the lowest hanging cages. I sighed as I got out on the tiny ledge and held onto the bars. I felt small scrapes tear at my hands, but I ignored it. I hung down from the cage at the lowest point I could get. From there, it was about a two foot drop from my feet to the floor.

I breathed in deeply and let go. I hit the ground and fell back. I opened my eyes and looked around. At least I was on the ground. I dragged my tired and sore body off the ground and started off toward the tunnel I saw North come in through.

* * *

Jack threw his last blast of ice before he leaned against his staff tiredly. He saw the rest of the Guardians heaving tiredly like him. All of the nightmares had been destroyed and turned into dreams, but they had seemed stronger this time. Pitch must have done something to improve them.

"Well, I never thought I'd see the day when the _mighty _Guardians looked so...weak," a voice sneered.

The sound of Pitch's voice sent fire through everyone's veins, making them all turn toward the sound of his voice, weapons ready. Pitch chuckled, hands folded behind his back. "Now, now- no need to get so riled up. There's nothing more I need from you," he grinned.

It was at that moment that Jack noticed that North hadn't returned with Selena. He looked over at North, who looked very defeated what Pitch said.

"Where's Selena?" Jack shouted, pointing his staff threateningly.

"I'm sorry, who?" Pitch teased.

Jack let out a roar as he rushed up and pinned Pitch to a tree with his staff. "You know who I'm talking about!" he shouted. "Now where. IS SHE?"

Pitch's smirk faltered for only a second. "Why do you need to know? She doesn't want to be let go."

Jack's eyes narrowed. "Why, you-"

"Jack," North called out sadly. "He's right. She...she's different, Jack. I'm sorry," he whispered.

Jack's eyes widened and he staggered back. Pitch slumped to the bottom of the tree, still smirking. Jack blinked his eyes. He didn't hear Pitch and the Guardians shoot ugly comments back and forth. He didn't hear North trying to get him to snap out of his daze. But he did hear one thing.

"Now why are y'all talking about me while I'm not around?"

Jack's head shot up.

Selena.


	10. Chapter 10

"Kind of rude if you ask me," I said casually as I leaned up against a branch. Everyone looked stunned. Honestly, it was kind of hard not to laugh at their expressions. Sadly, Pitch recovered first.

He roared and appeared in front of me, hands clamping tightly around my throat. "You...have won...for the last. **TIME!**" he yelled, choking me.

My vision started becoming spotty. I heard everyone shouting, and I saw someone try to pull Pitch away from me.

I heard an infuriated roar before darkness consumed me.

* * *

Jack stared on in horror. Pitch had been frozen and shattered into tiny crystals by his last shock of ice. North held Selena in his arms. Tooth was shaking her by the shoulders. Bunny had a paw on Jack's shoulder in comfort. Sandy was casting different dreams at Selena to see if she was simply asleep... but none of them were accepted.

She was...

'No...she can't be...dead...' he thought slowly. His whole world had slowed down. Everything felt like it was taking three times as long as usual. He grew numb. He didn't feel Tooth guide him into the sleigh. All he could do was stare at her still body the whole way back to the North Pole.

* * *

North sighed as he set down a lantern in front of the coffin. It had only been two hours since Selena died. But it felt like it had been weeks. He stepped back slowly and held Tooth's hand as she took Bunny's. They solemnly looked down at the four lanterns. Sandy floated down and sprinkled dreamsand over the coffin before he took North's hand.

Jack walked up to the coffin and put his hands on top of it. He set his head down on it and whispered a distinctive "I love you" before he walked out of the room without another word.

A bright light suddenly shown down from above. The Guardians turned slowly and stared up in awe. The moon shown through the ceiling brightly. A bright light coming from a crystal came up from the floor. They stood back and watched as an image started to appear on top of it.

"Get Jack," North whispered in awe. Tooth nodded quickly and fluttered off.

The image slowly- oh so slowly- started to make a form. And it slowly became a person.

"Wow..." Jack breathed, making North notice his entrance.

"Who is it?" Bunny asked nervously. "Please don't let the new Guardian be the groundhog," he prayed silently.

North squinted his eyes. "It's...it's..." no, it couldn't be... "It looked like...a girl."

Tooth looked taken aback. "I thought that I was the only female Guardian out there?" she said questioningly.

Jack looked up at it. She had long hair and she wore a petal-looking dress and no shoes. He had never heard of anyone like her. She also had glasses, and-

"It's...It's Selena!" he cried, running up to the image. "Look, it's her!" he said excitedly, pointing to the glasses and her face. It looked like Selena.

"Jack," North rumbled softly, "I know you want to to be alive, but-"

"No!" Jack shouted. He turned back to the image. "I know it's her," he whispered hopefully. Sandy tapped Jack and pointed toward the now-open coffin.

It was empty.

* * *

Darkness. That's the first thing I remember. It was cold. And dark. And I didn't know how I'd gotten there.

I gasped in air with a deep breath and looked down at myself. I had on a white petal dress that was stuck firmly to my body. My curls had loosed into white waves with small streaks of blue and ran down my back. The cut on my hand was gone, and my glasses were blue.

And I was floating.

I gasped and looked over my body. I...I was floating! I twirled around happily in the air and giggled. I had never felt better in my entire life!

I stopped my twirling and noticed the Moon above me. It was huge...and bright...and so beautiful. I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude as I gazed up at it.

"Thank you," I whispered. I slowly floated down onto the ground and blinked when my bare feet touched down on the chilly ground. A cold wave of water rushed over my feet, and I shivered. I looked down. I was in a forrest next to a partially frozen lake. I pulled my feet away from the water and shivered more.

I leaned down and touched the water. Suddenly, when I pulled my hand back, a stream of water followed it. I stared curiously at the stream of water, swirling it around in the air. I laughed as I grew it in my hands and sent it out, sending icy water splashing onto the ground.

I felt wind come up and lift me off the ground. I gasped and looked down to see what looked like a water spout holding me above the ground. I giggled and gathered more water up in my hand and threw it up above me. It rained down on me, and I sighed happily, floating down to the ground.

I suddenly gasped. 'Jack! What happened after I died?' I wondered. I looked up at the Moon. An image shot down and showed the workshop up in the North Pole. I nodded up at the Moon before I let a water spout below me carry me up and away to the North Pole.

* * *

Jack sat there by Selena's coffin, waiting. Everyone else had left. Sandy had to go give out dreams, Tooth had teeth to collect, North had work to be done with Christmas only a few weeks away, and Bunnymund had left to go check on his "Egg World".

He glanced up at the image once more. It hadn't disappeared. It just stayed there, almost telling him to keep waiting.

Suddenly, it flickered. Jack squinted his eyes, unsure if he had really seen it flicker or not. And it flickered again. And again. And again. Until it was flickering rapidly. Jack stood up and walked toward it slowly. He put a hand on it and it disappeared. Jack sighed. Maybe it wasn't her.

"Miss me?"

Jack spun around, eyes wide.

* * *

I grinned when Jack spun around. I slowly stepped toward him. "I know I look a bit different, now, but-"

He cut me off with a kiss. He picked me up and spun me around, making me giggle. He separated after a long time, and he held my face in his hands. "Never do that ever again," he whispered pleadingly. I could see tears in his eyes, and one rolled down his cheek. I kissed it away and put my forehead against his.

"Never again," I whispered.

"Promise?" he asked with a small smile.

I smiled at him. "Promise."


	11. Chapter 11

"You gave us quite a scare, Miss Selena," North said sternly. I gulped. I still got nervous whenever I was in front of _the _Santa Claus. I mean...who wouldn't be? This guy is literally a legend. Plus the fact that the rest of the Guardians were there (including Sandy, whom I had just met).

I laughed awkwardly, rubbing my arm. "Yeah...sorry about that," I apologized.

"Why do you apologize?" he questioned comically, a twinkle in his eyes. I looked up at him and saw him grinning. "Manny has returned you to us! We should celebrate!" he cheered, snapping his fingers. Yetis came out with large torches and elves played loud music. I felt awkward at all of the attention on me at that moment.

"Umm...why all the festivities?" I piped up quietly, making North stop all of the fanfare.

"Why, you are Guardian!" he explained, yetis raising their torches behind him for emphasis.

I blinked. "Uh...what?" I replied, confused.

"Man in Moon told us that you are new Guardian," he explained. "Music!"

I winced at all of the loud horns and ceremony. This was a bit much. I folded my hands behind my back, unwittingly conjuring up water in my hands. I put my hands up inquisitively, and-

accidentally splashed water everywhere.

"Oops!" I squealed, shocked as I looked at the now soaked yetis and elves. The torches were burnt out, and Bunnymund hadn't gotten away in time. His fur was slicked down to his body. He blinked and his nosed twitched.

"What...what is that, mate?" he asked, nose twitching rapidly. He hopped around the room excitedly, sniffing everything. Soon, he was bouncing around the whole workshop, while everyone watched in awe. Suddenly, the yetis and the elves joined him in searching rapidly around the workshop!

"Uh..." I couldn't think of anything else to say. "Did I do that?" I asked.

North fixed me with a look. "My office. Now," he said, walking in the direction of his office.

I walked forward a step and looked back at Jack. He just smirked and waved his hand forward, as if to say "go on." I huffed and ran after North to his office. I walked in and stopped in awe. The last time I was here, I hadn't really taken much time to notice all of the ice sculptures scattered around the room.

I caught sight of a flying object coming toward me in my peripheral. I looked up and quickly caught it. It was one of those layer-doll-things. I looked up at North questioningly.

"We need to find your center," he mumbled, looking around the room.

"My what?" I repeated with a confused expression.

"Your center," he whispered, as if it was a sacred thing. "The thing that is at very center of everything you do. That is what you are Guardian of," he said, pointing to my heart. I must have looked very puzzled at that moment. He stood up straight and motioned to the doll. "Open it."

I gave him another confused look before I opened the first doll. Under it was a mischievous looking doll.

"You see? This doll is me," he explained. "I am mischievous and mysterious," he said as I looked down at it. "I am brave and courageous," he said as I opened the doll again. "But I am also very jolly," he said as I opened another doll. I opened the final doll and stared down at it.

"A wooden baby with giant blue eyes?" I asked, looking up at him. I immediately noticed that he had the same eyes as the doll.

"Ah, you see? That is what I was born with- large eyes filed with wonder!" he exclaimed. "I saw wonder in all of my life. Wonder that no one else could see! That is my center," he said, getting down on my level. "What is yours?"

I stared down at the wooden doll in my hand. "I...I don't know," I finally said with a sigh.

He stood up and shrugged. "Eh, not everyone knows at first. Jack took a while in figuring his out as well," he mentioned all too casually. I smiled unwittingly at Jack's name. North stared me down.

"Selena...I don't think you realize how much you've impacted Jack..." he remarked with a smile. "He's...changed. For the better," he added on. "And I must thank you for that."

I blushed and looked down. "I'm just a girl who happened to believe in him," I replied modestly with a shrug.

He bent down and looked me in the eye. "You are a girl _his age _that believes in him. He has never had someone his age to be his friend- let alone, something more," he said, voice softening. He gave me a little wink before he walked over to a large ice sculpture of a train station.

"You may go, now. I believe that Jack will want to catch up on lost time," he said with a chuckle.

I started to leave when I turned back around. "What about Bunnymund and the elves and the yetis?" I asked with a laugh.

North's face was priceless. "Oh, well...I guess we'd better go find out what was in that water that you gave them," he chuckled, walking out the door with me trailing close behind him.

The elves and yetis had certainly calmed down. Bunnymund had golden carrots circling around his head. I figured that Sandy put him sleep.

"What was that?" Tooth asked, fluttering up to me excitedly. "It looked like a wave- oh look at those teeth! Oops, sorry, but really, what was that?" she asked, batting her magenta eyelashes.

I blinked. Dang she talked fast. "I...uhm...I'm not really sure," I admitted.

"Awhh...what happened?" Bunny groaned, holding his head as he woke up.

"I, um, gave you some sort of energy drink, it looked like," I tried to explain. I heard Jack snort in the background. I turned around to glare at him, but he stared off somewhere else innocently. I rolled my eyes and turned back to Bunnymund, who was now standing.

"It felt like...I was...really...curious all of the sudden," he said, drawing our attention.

"Curious, hm?" North asked, stroking his beard. "Perhaps that is your center, hm?" he suggested to me.

I rose one of my eyebrows. "Curiosity?" I asked incredulously. In all honesty, it didn't seem so bad. I was a naturally curious person. I was always wanting to study to find out more, asking how to do something right, or asking what a French word in ballet meant.

"Well, that would certainly explain why you ran around the workshop asking a billion questions," Jack piped up with a smirk.

"I told you it was only a million!" I reminded him.

"And you did inspect every single one of my painting stations," Bunny added thoughtfully.

I looked over at him. "You were following us?" I asked with a small smirk. Though I hadn't told Jack, I'd had the feeling of being watched the entire time I was in "Egg World."

Bunny huffed. "If you must know, yes."

"Aww, do you not trust me?" I asked, feigning hurt.

He snorted. "More like I don't trust your little boyfriend, 'Frosty'," he said, motioning to Jack.

Jack came up behind me and shamelessly put his arm around me (I noticed some of Tooth's fairies huff out of jealously in the background). "Bunny's just jealous," he commented casually, leading me away. I heard Bunny shout an outraged "What?!" as we walked away.

I giggled and slapped Jack's arm playfully. "You just think you're all that, don't you?" I asked him.

He gave me a look. "Well, obviously," he said, motioning around with his staff. "I mean, look- I'm a Guardian, I'm at the North Pole," he looked at me, "and I have a beautiful girlfriend. What else do I need?" he asked with a smirk.

I rolled my eyes, even though I blushed. Darn him and his evil ways. He chuckled and leaned over to kiss my cheek, making me blush anymore.

"Jaa~aack," I whined. "Stooooop, not in front of everyone," I groaned. It wasn't that I was embarrassed to be with Jack, it was just that every freakin' elf and yeti had their eyes on us. Talk about awkward.

He chuckled and just pulled me even closer to him. "Better get used to it, Princess."

Princess. That was what I was always taught that a guy should treat me as. With respect and absolute loyalty. Princess.

I smiled and gave him a quick peck on his lips, enjoying his stunned expression. "Catch me if you can," I whispered as I slipped away with a giggle. He blinked and soon, I was gone. I ran through the workshop, narrowly dodging left and right past yetis before I remembered that I could fly. Right- I'd have to get used to that.

A water spout appeared below me, allowing me to fly down through the center of the workshop. I saw a little shelf on the wall labeled "Snowglobe Portals". I floated toward it and looked at it curiously. I quickly grabbed one and flew out, figuring that it'd come in handy.

I hovered out in the cold wind outside of the workshop, shivering as I looked down at the snowglobe. I looked all around it for instructions until I found some on the bottom. "_Speak desired designation and_ _throw_," I read. I blinked. Huh, cool. "My house," I whispered before I threw it. A swirling portal of light appeared in the sky, and I flew through it, arriving in my room.

I grinned as I looked around. It hadn't changed a bit. I looked over at my alarm clock and saw that only two days had passed. I winced. Two days had passed. Where did they think that I had gone?

I rushed down the stairs, but stopped when I heard my mom sniffling. "I'm sure they'll find her eventually," my dad said. I looked around the corner and saw them sitting on the couch, my mom holding tissues in her hand.

"But what if they don't?" she asked hysterically. "What then?" My dad looked speechless.

My eyes widened and I ran over. "Mom! Look, I'm fine!" I said, bending down to look at her. She didn't even notice me. I waved a hand in front of her eyes. "Mom?" I asked quietly.

She stood up and walked _through _me. I stumbled back and caught myself on a chair. "I'm going to bed," she said tiredly, walking away. I blinked my eyes and stared after her. My dad sighed and got up, walking through me just like Mom had.

...what happened to me?


	12. Chapter 12

I blinked, tears coming to the surface. I sat up on my roof, staring up at the huge moon. I guess that there were down sides to everything. What was I? Was I a ghost? But why could the Guardians and everyone at the workshop see me? It didn't make sense.

I sniffed. Though it seemed cliché, why me?

At that moment, a portal opened up in the night sky. I saw Jack race out of it. He looked around until he saw me sitting on the roof. He flew over to me and landed beside me. "Found you," he laughed, putting an arm around me. I looked down and didn't respond.

"Hey," he whispered, moving around in front of me to look into my eyes. "What's wrong?" he asked softly.

"My...parents...why can't they see me?" I asked, my voice cracking. A new tear spilled over, and I quickly wiped it away.

He blinked before he quickly hugged me. Tears burst from my eyes before I could stop them. My breathing became raggedy, and I started to hyperventilate slightly.

"Shh..." he cooed comfortingly. "It's gonna be okay, I promise..."

I looked into his eyes disbelievingly. "How can you say that? My own parents can't see me! What if no one else can see me? What do I do then?" I asked hysterically.

"Do what I did," he murmured quietly. I gave him a confused look. He sighed and sat down beside me. "When I became Jack Frost, I had no memory of who I was. I had died saving my little sister from falling into a frozen lake," he explained. I looked at Jack with a new feeling. He must have been such a good older brother.

"What happened after that?" I asked softly.

"I went to a nearby village...and no one saw me. They all walked right through me. No one could see me for three hundred years, Selena," he said, looking up at me. My eyes softened, and I put my hand on his. He intertwined our fingers and squeezed my hand. "Don't think for a second that I'll let you feel what I did," he said with a smile.

I smiled back at him and gave him a quick kiss. "Thank you," I whispered. He smiled back and me and stood up. He offered me his hand and pulled me up before he lifted me into his arms.

"You know you don't have to carry me anymore," I reminded him. "I can fly on my own."

He smirked down at me. "I think I like holding you better," he replied, pressing a kiss to my forehead. I blushed again. Ugh, I would have to stop doing that eventually.

He flew us down off the roof and into my open bedroom window. He set me down and walked out to the upstairs hallway. "Where are your parents?" he asked.

I looked at him. "Um, what? They can't see...you...oh. Right. My mom can," I said slowly. "Forgot about that."

He laughed at me before he raised his eyebrows, silently reiterating his question. I took the lead and led him downstairs. It was completely dark in my house, and everyone had gone to sleep. I hovered down the stairs and into my parent's room. They both looked like they were asleep, but when I looked closer, I saw that my mom was wide awake. My mom hadn't even changed before she had gone to bed- she was still wearing an old t-shirt and jeans.

Jack put a finger to his lips to tell me to be quiet. I put my hands on my hips and glared at him. They couldn't hear _me_! He winced and whispered a quiet "sorry." He walked over silently to my mom and tapped her on the shoulder. " ," he whispered.

She blinked at him before she jumped. "Jack! Where's Selena? Is she okay?" she asked excitedly. She rushed up out of bed and slipped on some flip flops, as if she expected to follow him somewhere.

"Woah, take it easy- we're not going anywhere," he said, calming her down.

My mom sighed and sat down in a chair. "Then at least tell me what's happened!" she insisted. She eyed my dad, who was still fast asleep. "Let's go to the living room," she suggested. Jack and I nodded (even though she couldn't see me), and we followed her out to the living room.

I sat down on the couch and Jack sat down right next to me. My mom sat down in my dad's big leather chair and looked to Jack for an answer. He leaned forward and sighed.

"So...a few days ago...something happened. Selena's perfectly fine, though," he said quickly, seeing my mom get a worried look, "but I think she'd rather tell you herself."

"Well, where is she?" she asked.

Jack hesitated. "She's in this room."

My mom glared at Jack and crossed her arms. "This isn't some game-"

"No, I'm being serious!" Jack defended. "Just...do you remember when you were little? Did you ever sometimes feel really curious?" he asked randomly.

My mom and I gave him identical looks. 'What is he doing?' I wondered, but I kept silent.

"Jack, where are you going with this?" she sighed, putting her face in her hands.

"Just, work with me, okay?" he pleaded. "Now think- was there ever a time you were ever really curious?" he repeated.

My mom sighed. "Yes," she admitted.

"Now, what if I told you that it was a Guardian that made you curious? Just like I make kids want to have fun, she made you feel curious?" he asked.

She considered it for a moment. "It would make sense. But what are you getting at?" she questioned.

Jack took in a deep breath. "That Guardian is in this room," he said. "Just...close your eyes, and think of that time," he instructed. "Now open!"

My mom's eyes flickered open and she gasped. "Se..Selena?" she asked cautiously.

I waved at her shyly. "Hi," I offered weakly.

She rushed out of her seat and ran up to me, hugging me tightly. "Oh my gosh..." she whispered. She took me by my shoulders. "What happened to you?" she asked incredulously.

I laughed sheepishly and twirled my long white hair with one hand and fiddled with the hem of my petal dress with the other hand. "Um...Extreme Makeover, Person-Edition?" I suggested. I heard Jack laugh in the background.

My mom gave me a look, making me sigh. "Do you want the long story or the short story?"

"Short," she said easily.

"Well, I got kidnapped, died, and now I'm here," I said quickly.

She gave me a deadpanned look. "Okay, I think I'd like the long story better," she decided. She sat down in her chair with a huff. I sat down on the couch next to Jack again.

"Well," I started, "A few nights ago, I was kidnapped by Pitch- he's the boogyman, basically. He's been giving me nightmares since I was little," I explained.

"You always did have a lot of nightmares," she mumbled to herself. "Go on."

I sighed. "So, he held me his lair and gave me this awful nightmare. It was- well, that doesn't really matter, I guess," I said, ignoring their curious looks. "Anyways, I accidentally cut myself on the bars of the cage- which hurt. A lot. Then, North- he's Santa Claus- somehow got into the lair and let me go. Pitch was nearby, though, so I acted like a zombie, basically. North and Pitch left, I got out of my cage using a bobbi pen, and I went up to where everyone else was."

"Then Pitch...well...he wasn't exactly too happy that I got out and that I was practically fine...so he...um...killed me," I recounted, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. By the look on my mom's face, I hadn't succeeded. I could feel Jack stiffen beside me when I said "killed me." I glanced over at him and saw that his eyes were glassy.

"Oh..." my mom choked out. "I bet that wasn't fun," she said, trying to lighten the mood.

"Yeah- totally," I agreed in a dry tone. "But, as you can see, I'm alive. The Man in the Moon- I'm not really sure how to explain him- brought me back to life, and here I am- Guardian of Curiosity. Guess it's kind of fitting, hm?" I asked.

My mom smiled at me. "Yes, it certainly does. You were always such an inquisitive little girl," she said with a laugh. "But what now?" she asked, looking back and forth from me to Jack.

I shrugged and looked at Jack. "I guess I just move on in life. Obviously, I'm gonna be a little busy now- being a Guardian is a full time job," I mentioned.

"Well, for you it is," Jack remarked.

I rolled my eyes. "It's not fair- you get most of the year off," I grumbled.

"Will you be able to visit often?" Mom asked.

"I'll try," I said with certainty. "I guess you'll be the only one who can see me, though."

My mom nodded sadly. "I'll see if I can't sway Dad and James and Stacy. What should the cover story be, though?" she asked.

I looked to Jack for an answer. He looked to me. "Um..." I hummed unsurely, turning back to her. "I guess I died in this world," I finally said. I knew how much weight was in those few words. My friends, my ballet teacher, my vocal instructor, my teachers, my family...they would all think that I'm dead.

My mom nodded slowly. I could tell that she was thinking what I was thinking. "Any last requests? I'm sure you have to get going," she reminded us.

I smiled sadly at her. "Just... make sure that everyone's okay, alright? I'll be watching over them, but unless they believe, then they won't see me," I told her. She nodded and gave me one last hug.

I pulled out my snowglobe. "North Pole," I whispered quietly, and then threw it. A portal appeared in the middle of the living room. I walked up to it, followed by Jack. I turned around and waved goodbye to her.

"Good luck," she whispered. I smiled at her before I walked through.

* * *

Jack held Selena's hand as they walked around the workshop. It was past midnight, and most of the yetis had retired to bed, leaving just a few hard workers still up and finishing the last few toys of the day.

Jack suddenly pulled her over in a different direction. "Where are we going?" she asked curiously. He smiled at her curiosity. She was so adorable whenever she asked a question- she had the habit of tilting her head slightly to one side whenever she did.

"You'll see," he answered vaguely. She pouted. Once again- she was so adorable when she did that. He led her over to a little hidden alcove and pressed a button. Suddenly, the wall started turning- taking them with it. They turned around and found themselves in a large library.

"How did you find out about this place?" she asked in awe, looking around in wonder.

He smirked. "I accidentally got caught in here one time when I tried to break in, and- oh, wait, never mind," he covered up quickly. He hadn't meant to let that slip.

She raised one of her eyebrows at him, leaning against a bookcase. "Broke in, hm?" she inquired with a mischievous tone in her voice.

He shrugged his shoulders and rubbed he back of his neck. "Meh...maybe," he answered vaguely. She laughed at him and shook her head, walking around to another bookcase. He smirked. He loved it whenever he could make her laugh.

He walked over to where she had gone, but to his surprise, he didn't find her. "Selena?" he called, looking around. He faintly heard a muffled laugh. He glanced down another aisle of books and saw a flash of white before it disappeared. A gust of wind passed from behind, making him turn sharply.

He grinned before he stood up and walked over to a chair that was by a roaring fire. "Well, I guess I'm not going to find her anytime soon," he said all too casually, sitting down in the chair. He laid his staff against the armrest. "I wonder where she went," he questioned out loud.

He laid back and closed his eyes, tuning his ears to listen for anything. He heard another gust of air and felt his hair sway slightly. She was nearby. Suddenly, a pair of arms came from behind and wrapped around his neck. He jumped, but relaxed when he realized that it was Selena.

She put her head on his shoulder and giggled cutely. "Wow, you gave up quickly," she teased, walking around in front of him. He reached out and set her in his lap, smirking when she squealed.

"I gave up cause I knew that you wouldn't be able to hide from me forever," he whispered into her ear. He smirked again when she blushed.

"More like I just got tired of hiding," she retorted, laying down against him. He wrapped his arms around her and let her snuggle into him. They sat there for a few moments in silence, listening to the crackle of the fireplace.

"Selena...what was the dream Pitch gave you about?" he asked softly. He felt her breathing hitch slightly. "If you don't want to tell me, then-"

"No, it's fine," she said quietly. "It was actually about you," she mentioned, looking up at him.

He looked at her curiously. "What do you mean?" he asked.

She hesitated. "You...said that you...didn't love me," she mumbled. It was spoken so quietly that Jack had to strain to hear her. His eyes softened as he looked down at her.

"Selena, you know that I love you," he said, eyes begging her to believe him. "Why would you believe him?"

"It just..it seemed so...real," she explained. "And...it's not like that hasn't happened to me before," she added on quickly, as if she was trying to make it logical sense as to why he wouldn't love her. "I mean, why would you love me anywa-"

He cut her off quickly with a kiss. He felt her jump, but she relaxed slowly. He unlocked their lips and looked into her eyes with dead seriousness. "Why _wouldn't_ I love you?" he asked her. "You're cute, funny, so beautiful, and you believe in me," he listed. "I can't think of a single reason to not love you."

She looked down. "You've only known me for just over two weeks," she retorted.

"Well," he chuckled, making her look back up at him. "It's hard to resist someone so amazing," he told her with a smile.

She smiled up at him and put her head on his chest. She breathed in a deep sigh. "I love you, Jack," she whispered softly. She was asleep within seconds.

Jack sat there for a while, not truly believing what he had just heard. She said she loved him...she truly, actually, loved him. The thought made him want to soar up into the clouds and never come down. He gazed down at her and ran his fingers through her long, curly hair. It looked as beautiful as freshly fallen snow. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head before he too fell asleep.


	13. Chapter 13

I woke up the next morning not sure of where I was. I could vaguely remember being with Jack, but that was it. I blearily opened my eyes and blinked. Oh, right. The library. I heard light breathing and froze. I slowly turned my head, but relaxed when I realized that it was just Jack. I smiled softly at him. He had a dreamy smile on his face. It made me wonder what he was dreaming about.

He looked so at peace in that moment. So...relaxed. He was always carefree and happy, but here, he just had the air of innocence like a child. And to me, he looked flat out adorable.

I smiled up at him before I slowly climbed out of his lap. He didn't stir. I breathed a quiet sigh of relief. I started to silently tip-toe away.

"Where do you think you're goin'?" a sleepy voice asked. I paused and looked back. Jack was sitting up in his chair, wiping his eyes and running his hand slowly through his hair. He blinked tiredly and smiled up at me.

Once again- adorable.

He stretched and got out of his chair, walking up to place a kiss on my cheek. "Good morning. Did you sleep well?" he asked kindly.

I smiled up at him. "Very well, actually. I feel like I could still sleep for a few more hours, though," I commented with a shrug.

He picked up his staff and nodded. "After I was changed, I felt a little tired, too. You get used to it, though. After a while, you don't have to sleep," he explained as we walked over to the entrance. He pressed the button and the wall started moving.

"Aw, darn it- you make a good pillow," I pouted. He laughed and simply put an arm around my waist. We saw that yetis were already awake, running around furiously getting toys ready. Poor guys- it was like tax season for accountants on steroids.

"Selena!" a voice called. I turned to see North walking up to me with a happy expression on his face. "I had idea- you have not been made Guardian yet, hm?" he asked. I simply shook my head. "Then we have ceremony! Bunnymund and Sandy are on the way!" he cheered, clapping his hands excitedly.

I giggled. I hadn't seen this side of North before. "I'm pretty sure that I don't need a ceremony," I said, waving off the idea.

"Ah, but you do!" he corrected. "Do not fight us on this like Jack, here," he commented. "He was stubborn," he whispered quietly. I laughed again. Was he always this weird? It was really quite hysterical.

North gave Jack a look. "Come, Selena- Tooth is already here, and she is waiting for you," he said, leading me away from Jack. "Something about 'proper ceremony'," he explained. I raised my eyebrows at him. This should be interesting.

We arrived at the doorway to a little room. I looked back to North, but he had already disappeared. I shrugged and opened the door. Inside was what looked like a full, decked-out beauty salon. Oh. My gosh.

"Oh, Selena! Come on in!" Tooth invited, waving me over. Little fairies surrounded her, fluttering about.

"So why am I here?" I asked, sitting down in a chair as she gestured to it.

"Because you deserve a proper ceremony!" she said excitedly. "Everyone else got one- well, except for Jack. Teenagers," she grumbled. "But you're the only other female Guardian! Therefore, it's my job to get you all fixed up!" she said, snapping her fingers. Two fairies flew over with a hair brush. She took it from them with a thanks and started to brush through my long hair.

"You're hair is just so gorgeous!" she squealed. Her fairies squealed in agreement.

I blushed. "Thanks," I said awkwardly. It was weird having someone compliment me.

"I used to have hair almost this long," she continued. "But that was long ago when I was human."

I blinked for a moment. "...do you ever miss being a human?" I asked.

She shrugged. "Sometimes. I miss my family and friends, but the joy of helping and protecting children keeps me going. Children are just so precious- being someone for them to believe in is a joy in itself," she told me happily.

I nodded my head in agreement. "I'm just hoping that I'll do a good job."

She flew around to in front of me and took me by the shoulders, just like my mom always did. "You will- trust me." She smiled at me before she got back to work. For the next hour or so, she and her fairies continued to get me ready. Bobbi pen here, ribbon there, eye shadow here, and so on and so forth. By the end of it, I felt pretty over whelmed...but somehow, in a good sense.

"Here," Tooth said, holding up a necklace. "This would look wonderful with your dress!"

I looked over it for a second, but my hand reached for my snowflake pendant. I couldn't bring myself to take it off. "No thank you," I politely declined.

Her eyes flickered down to my necklace, and she smiled understandingly. "Well, at least have a look in the mirror, now," she said, gesturing to a full-length mirror.

I got up and walked over to in front of it. I stared in the mirror in awe. That was not me...it couldn't be.

"Oh, you look gorgeous!" she squealed, clasping her hands together. All of her fairies around her sighed- probably out of all of the hard work they had been doing by carrying around things. "Jack's gonna love it!" she commented.

My eyes widened. Great...This was going to be _really_ interesting.

Jack glanced around the room casually. He was still wondering what North had lead Selena away for. North was being very persistent in not telling him. Finally, he had just given up and leaned against the wall. She'd come back eventually.

Suddenly, trumpet music from elves started. All of the yetis were gathered, regardless of their upcoming deadline. Bunny, Sandy, and North stood tall and at attention. Jack saw that North had the Book of the Guardians in his hand.

And that's when he saw her.

Selena walked in slowly, almost a bit unsure of herself. Her hair was up in a fantastic updo, and blue and silver ribbons were woven through it. The same ribbons came down from her hair and wove around her arms, ending in a bow at her hand. Blue and silver earrings dangled down from her ears, falling down just barely past her chin. Silver eye shadow made her blue eyes stand out even more than usual.

She was beautiful.

And everyone knew it.

Jack found himself speechless. She smiled shyly at him, and he simply blinked, his mouth unable to form words. As she walked on past him toward North, Bunny elbowed Jack and gave him a smirk that read "nice catch there, buddy."

She finally arrived in front of North. He cleared his throat and looked at Selena. "Do you, Carolyn Selena Snow, Guardian of Curiosity, swear to watch over the children of Earth, to guide them safely from the ways of harm, to guard with your life their hopes and dreams, for they are all that we have, and all that we are, and all that we will ever be?" he spoke.

She nodded her head without hesitation. "I do so swear," she answered.

North solemnly nodded and closed the book. "Then I name you Curiosa, Guardian of Curiosity. Do her fellow Guardians accept?"

"I do so accept," they all murmured together.

"Then it has been decided," he said, nodding down at Selena. "Welcome to the Guardians, Selena."

* * *

After the ceremony, the yetis had all gotten right back to work. Each of the Guardians hugged her and wished her the best of luck until just one was left. In the blur of yetis leaving and hustling about, Jack couldn't find Selena, and vice versa.

I wound up back in the salon-room, taking bobbi pens out of her hair one by one. Two little fairies flew up to me and helped take them out before I decided to put my hair up in a ballerina bun. The fairies wove the ribbon through my hair and down my back. I giggled at them. "Thank you," I said politely. They nodded at me before they flew out of the room.

I laughed to myself at their cuteness before I sat down in a chair in front of the mirror. I slowly took in my reflection. 'Curiosa...' I hummed to myself. It didn't sound so bad.

The door creaked open and shut softly, showing none other than Jack. "Hey," he said quietly, wrapping his arms around me from behind.

I smiled and looked up at him. "Hi," I returned.

He smiled down at me and pressed a kiss onto the top of my head. "You looked gorgeous in the ceremony...and now...and always," he added on.

I laughed. It sounded like he was still speechless. "Thanks. Tooth really knows how to make a girl look pretty," I commented.

"You always look pretty," Jack retorted. "Princesses always look beautiful."

I smiled up at him. And in that moment, it was a perfect world.

If only they knew what was to come.

**Yes, this is the end...OR IS IT? I could never leave you guys hanging after this! So, does this mean a sequel? Absolutely! Be on the lookout for the sequel to "Let It Snow", "Let It Rain"! See you guys soon, and don't forget to tell me your closing thoughts on this fanfiction!**

**With Love, **

**Selena**

**(PS: Curiosa= Cure-ee-oh-suh)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey, guys! Just lettin' you know that the sequel, "Let It Rain", is now up! So enjoy it, favorite it, review it- do whatever! Just make sure that you read it!**


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